Family, Can't Live With Them
by Darien Fawkes
Summary: The Rangers now search for the remaining, elusive Silver energem, but as they do so, they must also deal with the enigma that is relationships with family and friends and the aggravations they can cause.
1. Chapter 1

**Legal:** I do not own Power Rangers or the associated names, places, characters, events etc. Anything not covered by these rights should be considered purely the creation of the author.

 **Rating:** T – may be some adult themes, including language and violence.

On Heckyl's ship, in the galley, one of the monsters, Half-Bake was preparing another meal for the inmates and the crew. Part of Heckyl's new regime was that he wanted "the inhabitants of the ship to know they were guests, not prisoners", and so he insisted that they eat actual food as opposed to any kind of slop that Sledge usually had processed out of whatever was left over once the crew had eaten.

It was a thankless task, with so many creatures on board from such wildly different cultures and backgrounds, it was literally impossible to make everyone happy. There were constant complaints about his food, and yet all he heard all day were more and more demands for food. His own restaurant back home had some renown, but that had all changed when a powerful mobster had eaten there and gotten serious food poisoning. At least, that was what he told everyone, Half-Bake didn't know about his food allergies and had ended up hospitalising him. It was a blessing in disguise when the mobster put a bounty on him and Sledge had simply taken him off the planet. He was sure that when the mobster got out of hospital, he'd have ended up an ingredient in one of his own dishes.

The situation was compounded further by his working conditions. The kitchen in Sledge's ship were incredibly cramped, more built out of necessity than for any serious culinary work. He had heard Heckyl's promise that anyone that helped him get an Energem would rule the Universe at his side. That sounded like a whole lot of work to Half-Bake, but with the ruler of the universe beside him, he could open the greatest restaurant imaginable, with the kind of kitchen and ingredients that would put Half-Bake on the A-list, the TOP of the A-list throughout the universe.

Wrench came in, carrying a toolbox. Half-Bake had complained about the ovens being broken, and so he was here to see if he could fix them. The cyborg came in to him wielding a massive mallet in two hands, pounding out some dough like he was driving in railway spikes. Wrench just shook his head.

"What the blazes are you doing?" He asked.

"I'm pounding out dough." Half-Bake answered him, pointing to the oven. "That thing's been on the fritz. If I don't get it up to temperature in the next half hour, all the ship's meals will be late and Master Heckyl will be furious!"

"Pies AGAIN?" Wrench grumbled as he started to get to work. "Don't you know how to make anything else? And why exactly do you need a sledgehammer to make dough? Haven't you heard of a rolling pin?"

"Maybe if I had a kitchen with appliances that worked I would be able to work better!" Half-Bake moaned as he continued to work. "My utensils are a joke, my appliances keep breaking down, my ingredients are running out..."

"Your ingredients are running out?" Wrench asked him. "What kind of ingredients?"

"You know, condiments, spices, herbs, meat, vegetables..." Half-Bake started to rhyme off.

"Wait, meat and vegetables?" Wrench asked, before going to the fridge. Pulling it open, he found it looking very sparse indeed. Sparse was being polite about it, he had seen black holes with more matter inside them. He turned to look at Half-Bake. "How long have the stores been like this?"

"Um...a few days." Half-Bake said nervously. "Hunter used to go for all the ingredients! With him gone..."

"A few days?" Wrench yelled at him. "So what have you been serving?"

"Um..." He started to say, before Wrench started to look around. He found pelts in a nearby trash container, ready to be incinerated. This wasn't too unusual, but as he pulled out one, it was a little small and alarmingly familiar.

"RATS?" Wrench screamed at him. "You've been serving RATS?"

"I didn't have anything to work with! You try feeding this many mouths with no one going for groceries!" Half-Bake protested. Wrench looked to the pastry and realised that Half-Bake had been serving pies and pasties for days...a perfect way to hide his creative 'substitutions'.

"So what have you been doing for vegetables?" Wrench asked him. As he was about to answer though, Wrench held up a hand. "On second thought...I think I'd prefer not to know. I'll send out some Spike Balls to source some ingredients for you. Have you at least made the cinnamon rolls Heckyl asked for?"

"Um...well...I can make ROLLS." Half-Bake told him. "We ran out of cinnamon a week ago!"

"Well, just...make them as best you can...but NO SUBSTITUTIONS!" Wrench warned him as he got back to work on the oven. "I've never been so grateful that I don't have a stomach anymore."

A week was a short time for the team, despite the restaurant being ready to re-open a while past, in order to draw business back, Kendall had arranged a massive event for the museum. The press was going to be there to cover the re-opening, and for one day only, they had opted to throw open their doors for free. They had even managed to convince Phillipe to take some time out of his schedule to cut the ribbon on the new and improved museum.

The place was packed. It was easily the busiest the museum had ever been. They knew that free food and entry was going to be a massive loss leader, and were thankful that Anton really didn't care if the museum made any money at all, but given the number of people there, they were certain that a lot of people were going to come back.

The team, were gathered around a table, having a good time. With the exception of Shelby, they all had the day off. Kendall had insisted it was because they had worked so hard to help get the museum ready for the day, but Chase had suspected that she just wanted them out of the way. Shelby was on shift, ready to lead any tours she was called on, but with most people happy enough to just let their curiosity lead them, she was taking a little time to hang out with them. Though they weren't the only ones at the table, Shelby had invited along her friend Erin to finally meet her friends. Given the laughter from the table, it seemed that she needn't have worried. Erin was always good at making a first impression.

"...so I was like, 'Obviously, its a donkey!'" Erin concluded her story eliciting another huge laugh from the table. With her dad being in the military, she was used to making new friends quickly, and she had a number of stories to tell from the numerous places she had been while her dad was stationed all around the world.

"Shelby, Erin is awesome!" Tyler laughed, wiping away some tears. Shelby was happy to see Tyler so happy. It hadn't been long since James had left, just under a week ago he had only just got his father back, only for him to have to pack up and leave again on his mission for Keeper to find the Silver Energem. He made sure to keep in contact this time, but Tyler had been understandably rather down since he had left. Shelby was happy to see that Erin could make him laugh. She was even happier knowing that since she had invited Erin here, all she had asked her all week was if she was sure Ivan would be there.

"Yup, that's why we've been besties since kindergarten." Shelby said proudly. She hadn't had many friends growing up; Erin had been one of the few that actually found her obsession with dinosaurs in any way cool. It was heartbreaking when Erin had to leave, but they always kept in touch, even long after most friendships at that age fizzled out and vanished.

"Aw, Shelbster." Erin replied, looking to her. "I was just telling your friends about that dinosaur song from school, remember? What a riot!"

"Oh, you really, really shouldn't have..."

"Yeah, Erin was saying you used to sing it all the time, even at your school's talent show." Chase teased her, seeing Shelby becoming a little uncomfortable, imagining that it was embarrassing for her.

"Yeah, how about you sing it for us?" Riley continued.

"Oh, I don't...I'm not even sure I remember it." Shelby said, trying to extract herself from the situation. Erin though seemed to have absolutely no shame at all, something of a personal trait that Shelby admired and also hated in equal measure. She wasn't sure Erin even knew what it was to be embarrassed.

"Oh, of course you do Shelbster; we sang it all the time!" Erin told her. "Come on, I'll even sing it with you, like we used to." Realising that she was never going to get out of this situation now, Shelby finally figured that the best way out of it was just to get on with it and hope the attention passed quickly."

"Life is like a triceratops." Shelby began.

"And you know I love you tricera-lots." Erin completed the line. The guys gave them both a polite applause, but were thinking more of a young Shelby walking around singing that song all the time. "You know, right after I wrote that song, we sang it in the school talent show and won first place. We were like rock stars, right Shelby?"

Shelby's face told a whole story all by itself. She loved Erin completely, she had done ever since they first met way back in kindergarten, but this was just something that Erin did that she had always noticed, that no one else seemed to. She had a habit of tweaking stories and altering them just a little to put herself in the best light, often claiming that she was responsible for things she had never actually done. It wasn't like Shelby was going to make a huge deal out of the fact that she was the author of her Kindergarten creation "Tricera Rocks", but it was always the same. No matter what happened, somehow she was involved, or had outright been the one behind the whole thing.

"Yeah, it's a great song." Shelby replied, just trying to brush it all aside. "One minute until my shift is over, how about we go out and find some fun, huh?"

There was a roar of approval from the table as the guys all started gathering their empties and putting them on a tray. Even though she was on tours that day, Shelby bussed the table, seeing the cafe staff were busy. Erin shifted around in the booth, closer to Ivan.

"So, Ivan isn't it?" She asked the Gold Ranger. "So Shelby tells me you're from Zandar. That has to be one of the few places in Europe I've never been. Tell me, what's it like there?"

"Well, it's been quite some time since I was last in my home land." Ivan assured her. "I understand quite a bit has changed since I left."

"Well, how about you tell me what it was like when you were there?" Erin answered, fluttering her eyelashes at him a little. Ivan adjusted himself on his seat a little.

Shelby put her tray down on the counter, just as Chase came over with the remaining empties.

"So, a triceratops song." He put down, looking to Shelby as he leaned on the counter. "Erin's into dinosaurs too?"

"Well, yeah and..." Shelby just paused as Chase just looked at her with a knowing smile. Chase was a bit of a blowhard himself back in the day. He knew all about bragging and exaggerating his stories. Once, he had tried to tell the team about a jump he had performed on his skateboard, up until Kendall pulled up a computer simulation of the trick he had described, showing at least five different ways what he was describing was impossible...not least because the height he claimed he had jumped from would have generated an impact that would have completely destroyed his skateboard. "OK, actually...it's my triceratops song."

"Really? I would never have guessed!" Chase responded sarcastically, feigning complete surprise, putting a hand on his chest like he was about to have a heart attack. Shelby just smacked him in the chest.

"We sang it in the talent contest and won first place." Shelby told him, confirming that part of the story at least. "But then she went around telling everyone she wrote it, even though she knew I wrote every word."

They both turned to look at the table as there was another huge roar of laughter.

"Yup, she takes credit for EVERYTHING. Everything good anyway, if anything bad happens, she was never there or knew nothing about it." Shelby sighed. "But, she's still my bestie. Come on."

With that, they went back to the table to gather the others and head out to find something else to do.

Back on Heckyl's ship, Half-Bake was in the control room with Wrench, holding a tray of 'cinnamon' rolls that Heckyl had ordered. Both of them looked to the psychotic alien as he took a large bite of one, and started chewing. Given the expression on his face, they were both starting to get a little worried. Wrench was thankful at least when Heckyl merely leaned over in his chair and spat out the mouthful onto the floor. At least Half-Bake had only made something he didn't like, rather than trying to make any substitutions with potentially lethal results.

"Aw fiddlesticks." Half-Bake muttered, seeing his hard work being treated with such disdain. Heckyl just glared at him.

"Half-Bake, why don't I taste cinnamon?" He asked him, looking annoyed. He had been hoping for a treat to lift his mood following the latest defeats at the hands of the Rangers. Singe's plan had brought them closer to victory than he could ever remember them being, but it had all fallen through their fingers at the last moment. Half-Bake just looked nervous as he tried to stammer out an explanation.

"It's not my fault, we're all out!" Half-Bake protested. "Wrench sent out some Spike Balls to get some ingredients, but we haven't heard back from any of them yet!"

"We need more ingredients?" Heckyl asked.

"Well, Hunter DID source most of them." Half-Bake reminded him. "Um...Master Heckyl, I've been meaning to speak to you about my job."

"Would it be about how you're lucky to have one since you don't deign to tell me when I'm running out of FOOD?" Heckyl asked him.

"No, um...it's actually...I want a shot at defeating the Rangers." Half-Bake told him. Heckyl just blinked at him for a moment, before everyone on the bridge burst out laughing.

"You didn't tell me you were a comedian as well as a chef." Heckyl responded.

"I don't even think we can call him a chef." Wrench guffawed as he fell to his knees. "I'd say don't give up the day job, but you suck at that too!"

"Give me a chance!" Half-Bake whined as he tried to get them to take him seriously. Heckyl just looked to him.

"So tell me, what exactly is your plan?" He asked.

"Maybe he plans to throw his rock cakes at them." Wrench suggested through his laughs. "You could use those things to build a house!"

"I'll just um..." Half-Bake said as he tried to think of something. "I'll just...destroy them! That's what I'll do!"

He started to shrink away in embarrassment as they continued laughing at him.

"Please, please stop, I'll wet myself!" Heckyl begged him as they continued to laugh. They were all delighted that at least Heckyl wasn't threatening to destroy anyone, being far too amused at the thought of Half-Bake trying to destroy anything other than his recipes. Half-Bake left the room, muttering all the way.

"Soon you'll all be eating humble pie." He grumbled. "You'll see!"

Over in the park, the Rangers were having a great day with Erin. The park was very quiet today, likely because people were taking advantage of the event at the museum, meaning they had ample opportunity to enjoy the benefits of a beautiful day out.

"This Erin is a delight." Ivan said as they were sitting around, waiting on Erin and Chase returning from the ice-cream van. They'd played a spirited game of touch football, and were now taking the time to relax afterwards.

"Yeah, and the stories she tells...who knew that one person could do so many great things." Riley commented. Shelby just glared at him.

"Erin's pretty amazing, and it's not like you don't have a bunch of trophies." Shelby said defensively, knowing that Riley, like Chase must have picked up that Erin's tales were rather grandiose and doubting their factual accuracy. "Ms Morgan told me all about that shrine your mom calls your bedroom."

"Hey guys, my treat!" Erin declared with a bright smile as she came back with some ice-cream cones, handing them out. The guys were more than delighted with the thought of that as she started to hand them out. "Let's see, raspberry ripple for Tyler, mint chip for Riley, chocolate for Koda and Ivan...I got you something a little special."

She shifted Tyler aside, pushing in to sit next to Ivan, handing him a cone.

"A double scoop of chocolate with raspberry sauce." She told him.

"You my lady have fine taste." Ivan said as he started to eat it. Shelby went to take a cone from Chase, who just looked confused.

"Her treat?" He whispered. "I paid for those, did she just...?"

"Told ya." Shelby said through a forced smile. Just then, they heard a scream from a little way off. There, they saw a Spike Ball attacking an old lady, but something seemed odd about the attack. He had dropped his weapon and seemed to be grabbing the old lady's bag, trying to pull it away from her.

"Give me those groceries lady!" The creature yelled at the top of his voice, making his intentions clear. The Rangers all looked around each other, clearly confused and all thinking the same thing. The monster was here to steal the old lady's groceries?

"It's a Spike Ba..." Shelby had to stop herself as she remembered Erin was there. "...m...Monster. Come on guys, let's get out of here!"

"Good idea, let's um...meet up, back at the cafe!" Tyler suggested as they all made a show of splitting up and running in all directions.

"Oh...um...OK." Erin said as they ran off, beginning to run herself, but getting confused as to where she was and what direction she was meant to be going. She instead looked for a place to hide until the danger had passed. Finding a spot in some bushes, she hid there, keeping a close eye on the Spike Ball, hoping he wouldn't come looking for her. Fortunately, he seemed more interested in the bag than anything else.


	2. Erin The Pink Ranger

Erin kept her head down as the Rangers did battle with the Spike Ball. While her father wasn't usually required to be near the action hot spots during his military days, being a Quartermaster with the Administrative Corp, he had been to some pretty lively areas. "Generals still need to do their paperwork in Afghanistan", he had once told her. She hadn't had much call for it, but she was still well versed in duck and cover for when her family had been stationed in livelier areas.

The Spike Ball, she could tell, wasn't really considered by the Rangers as much of a threat. Now that most of the people had already left, they seemed to be trying to figure out what he was even doing there more than worrying about taking him out.

"Master Heckyl's cinnamon!" The Spike Ball screamed out, pointing at Koda. The Blue Ranger just looked down, realising that in the midst of battle, he had stepped on something. There were cinnamon sticks that had been crushed into the ground under his feet. The Spike Ball readied his club. "You destroyed his cinnamon, now I'm going to destroy YOU!"

"Wait, is he SERIOUSLY flipping out over cinnamon?" Riley asked as Koda dodged a clumsy swing from the club. "He was really here for the groceries?"

"I guess Heckyl did enjoy his cinnamon rolls." Kendall replied over the intercom, hearing this from the Command Centre. Chase just started laughing.

"Well, you would know wouldn't you?" He giggled.

"Really? You're going there?" Kendall asked him. Ivan rushed forward, knocking the club spinning from the Spike Ball's hand.

"Let me show this varlet the error of his ways!" Ivan declared, bringing his sword across the creature in a quick combination, before turning away from it. The Spike Ball fell to the ground and disappeared. "That will put an end to your larcenous ways. Monster Vanquished!"

From her hiding place, Erin smiled seeing the Gold Ranger taking out the Spike Ball. Like everyone, she had seen the Rangers in action on the news, but seeing it this up close and personal was something else. As people started to come back out of their hiding places, Tyler and Shelby gathered as much of the groceries as they could spare. The old lady returned nervously, at which Tyler handed over the bag.

"We saved all we could." Tyler told her as Shelby gathered what couldn't be saved, having come out of the bag or been trampled, and put it in the trash can nearby. "I think we saved most of it."

"Oh, never you mind. I only lost a couple of tomatoes and some cinnamon." The old lady assured him, pulling out her cell phone. "But...my grandson is such a huge fan, would you mind? He'll never believe me otherwise."

"How can we say no?" Tyler answered as the team gathered around her, allowing her to take the selfie. As Erin came out of the bushes to go and get her own picture, the Pink Ranger gestured away.

"Guys, I hear sirens, it's time for us to book." Shelby told them. They quickly ran off, much too quickly for Erin to catch them.

"Please, wait up!" She called after them as she tried to catch up to get a picture. She stumbled a little as she stood on something, looking down to see it was the monster's discarded club. She bent down, picking it up, and inspecting it. It wasn't exactly a selfie with the Rangers, but it was one heck of a souvenir, one she was sure Shelby was going to just freak out over! If only she could have got one of the Rangers to sign it...

"Aw man, we're too late!" She heard someone complaining. Turning around, she saw a man in a suit, and carrying a microphone running up, just coming to a stop near her. Behind him, there was another guy carrying a video camera. "You just HAD to park in the parking lot, didn't you?"

"I couldn't park any closer, we'd have been towed!" The cameraman protested. "The van's registered in my name! I'm not paying an impound fee!"

"Great, now we've got nothing but a follow-up piece." The reporter grumbled. He looked to Erin, seeing her standing holding the club. "You, were you here when all this happened?"

"Um...yeah, I was just..." She started to stammer, not knowing what to really say. The reporter saw the club and pointed to it.

"Is that your club?" He asked her, at which Erin realised she was still holding it.

"Oh, um...no...it was a monster's..." She continued to stammer, starting to hold it out, wondering if she should be offering to give it to the reporter.

"Wait, YOU fought a monster?" The reporter asked, clicking his fingers. "You, start recording!"

"What? Me? Fight a monster?" She asked him.

"This young woman just moments ago fought a monster right here in Amber Beach Park, taking this weapon from him." The reporter declared. Erin's eyes widened as she heard him say this, beginning to wave her hands.

"Oh, no, um...I didn't..."

"Ms, can I ask you, are you one of the elusive Rangers?" The reporter asked, practically salivating at the thought of going from a disappointing scene-of-the-event story to possibly one of the biggest breaking stories in the city, unmasking an actual Ranger!

"Me, a Ranger?" She asked, still wondering how all this had managed to spiral so quickly out of control. By now, the park was filling up again as people came out of hiding, and seeing the camera were coming over to see what was happening. The reporter didn't seem to register what she had said, and turned back to the camera.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, in what may be the greatest breaking story of the year, I believe that I, Tom Breaker, may be about to unmask the..." He took a glimpse at Erin, and quickly sized things up. She was a woman, and so far by observation everyone knew there were two women on the current team, the Pink and Purple Rangers. The Pink Ranger seemed to take part in battles more regularly, and this girl was wearing pink... "...Pink Ranger! Ms, I ask you, right here and now, is it true? Are you the Pink Ranger?"

Erin was about to speak, but before she could, she suddenly became aware of the growing crowd. People were already gathering in as close as possible, pointing their camera phones her way. Everyone was clamouring for a good position, and there was a lot of chatter. With the microphone pointed right in her face, and seeing all the bright grins staring back at her, Erin couldn't help herself. She smiled in response.

"Well, yeah, I guess you caught me! I'm the Pink Ranger!" She declared, putting the club up over her shoulder and striking a pose. "Oh...try to get this side, that's my better side."

"There you have it folks, in a worldwide exclusive, I have discovered the identity of the Pink Ranger!" The reporter declared proudly as camera flashes went off and people all clamoured around, hoping to ask all the questions they had ever wanted to know about the Rangers that had been their saviours for so long.

Elsewhere in the city, Half-Bake was walking around, having opted to try his luck striking out on his own. Heckyl and the others had literally laughed in his face when he declared his intent to take on the Rangers. He knew that remaining in the kitchens was never going to earn him any respect, much less afford him any opportunity of ever being free or seeing his home again. He knew that Heckyl wouldn't be happy he had left the ship, but without any opportunities being presented, he figured he needed to make one for himself. Perhaps if he presented Heckyl with a done deal, walking back in with the Energems, or better yet, the Rangers, he might be able to impress Heckyl enough to finally be taken home.

Packing up what few meagre possessions he had, he had struck out on his own, fleeing the ship. He encountered his first snag very early on. Having never actually left the ship before, it took him a while to figure out how to even get to the city. After walking around in the woods for a couple of hours, he had finally found a road leading into Amber Beach. Once he got there though, he found he had hit yet another problem.

Seeing a police officer sitting in a patrol car, eating a take-away lunch, he tapped gently on the window.

"Um...excuse me, but have you seen the Power Rangers?" He asked, hoping that the cop would be able to show him where to find the Rangers. He didn't have much to do with the war effort, for long enough he had just been there to cook the meals on the ship. He didn't know HOW the monsters found the Rangers, he just knew that they did. Seeing the monster in his window, the cop panicked and hit the gas, screeching out of his parking spot, almost ploughing headlong into a car coming the opposite way before speeding away.

"Hey, wait, come back!" Half-Bake whined, chasing after the cruiser for a short way, before giving up on him. He just waved him off. "Aw, fiddlesticks! Why is it so hard to find the Rangers?"

He started on his journey once more, idly kicking a can down the street, completely oblivious to the citizens seeing him and running away. He swung his small bag of possessions as he walked down the road.

"Aw, why didn't I ask how they find the Rangers before I left?" He grumbled. "This could take all day!"

Just then, he paused in his path, and backed up a few steps. He was passing an electrical appliance shop. Something on the large display of televisions had caught his attention. Backing up a little, he stared at the screens, seeing the news playing. Underneath Erin, the banner was scrolling, declaring that the Pink Ranger had been unmasked. Half-Bake smiled.

"Jackpot!" He declared.

Back at the museum, the Rangers arrived, hoping that Erin would be there waiting for them. They found that it was still busy, but it seemed to be a lot busier than even they were expecting. Shelby started looking around for Erin.

"This place is packed! Ms Morgan must be stoked!" Chase declared, looking around at the crowd forming as they made their way to the counter. He planned to take advantage of the fact Allison was on duty to jump the queue a little.

"You have no idea." Allison answered as she started getting some smoothies for them. "It was busy before, but ever since that exclusive started airing, people haven't left!"

"Exclusive?" Chase asked her.

"Yeah, the exclusive about the battle in the park." Allison told him. Chase just chuckled.

"It was ONE Spike Ball." Chase answered. "It really wasn't that news-worthy."

"Oh, I wasn't meaning the battle, I meant the other thing." Allison answered. Chase furrowed his brows, completely confused. Just then, Shelby came over, looking a little worried.

"Allison, have you seen Erin?" Shelby asked her. "We got separated at the park. We told her we'd meet back here, I can't see her!"

"Oh, I have a feeling you'll see her if you look right over there." Allison said, pointing behind them. Shelby and Chase both turned around, seeing the crowd gathered around a large screen TV. Erin was on the screen, still posing with the club. The banner underneath her declared, "Pink Ranger Unmasked as Local College Student". Shelby joined the others, who were also gathered around the television, hardly able to believe what they were seeing.

"So, why have you decided to reveal yourself to the world now?" The reporter asked Erin. She just smiled at the camera.

"I just thought it was time that the world knew who I really am. I am the Pink Ranger." Erin said, adjusting her hair for the camera. "The others want to keep their identities secret, and I respect that, so I won't be answering any questions about them, but I think the world could do with as many heroes with faces as possible in these times..."

"Oh, you have GOT to be kidding me!" Shelby exclaimed, getting a few annoyed looks and requests to be quiet from the people watching the news story. She was used to Erin taking credit for things that she hadn't done. While it did grate on occasion, she had accepted it as largely just part of who Erin was, knowing there was a lot more to her than just lying to make herself popular and make herself look good. She didn't really care about the fact Erin had taken credit for a song she had written when she was five, but this was something else entirely. Shelby just walked away in disbelief. Koda followed her.

"Shelby, why she say she Pink Ranger?" Koda asked her. "You Pink Ranger."

"She's taking credit for something she didn't do!" Shelby declared. "AGAIN!"

"Still, she does spin a good yarn." Ivan said with a shrug, taking a look back at the screen. "Oh, she's telling children to stay in school like her. That is a fine message..."

"That's NOT the point Ivan!" Shelby snapped, noticeably fuming over the outrage at Erin stealing the credit for everything that she had done for over a year. "When I see her, I'm going to..."

"LOOK! THERE SHE IS, THE PINK RANGER!" Someone shrieked, pointing to the door. They all looked in time to see Erin strutting in, swinging the club in a care-free manner as she went in, basking in the adulation that had followed her everywhere she went since she had left the park. People were already clamouring around, trying to get autographs and pictures with her.

"Well Shelby, now's your chance." Tyler told her, gesturing to Erin. "You know, if you can get through all her fans that is."

Shelby stormed over to her friend, shoving people out the way. Her friends were close behind her, making sure she didn't hurt anyone. They had to catch people that were moving back rather quickly as Shelby's anger caused her Energem to start kicking in, enhancing her strength as she pushed her way through, making sure they didn't end up flying. Erin was just handing back a note pad she had signed when she saw Shelby.

"Shelbster! There you are!"

"Erin, a word! NOW!" Shelby said, grabbing Erin and dragging her away. Erin skipped to keep up with Shelby, who dragged her into the back through the kitchen and into the storage area. When they got there, Erin just looked at her blankly.

"Oh, OK, what gives Shelbster?" She asked her cheerfully. Shelby just stood with her hands on her hips.

"Erin, WHAT are you doing?" Shelby asked her incredulously. "Why are you telling everyone you're the Pink Ranger?"

"How do you know I'm NOT the Pink Ranger?" Erin asked her, giving her that look that Shelby had learned to hate over the years. What was more infuriating than her 'alternate facts' and her rather tenuous relationship with reality was the mental and verbal gymnastics Erin would effortlessly perform in order to maintain her version of reality. While Erin's lies were rarely meant to hurt anyone or cause any real harm, she was a very natural and very convincing with it, sometimes so much so that Shelby wondered if she even convinced herself after a while.

"Because..." Shelby had to think about that one, it wasn't as though she could just tell Erin that she was the Pink Ranger just to shut her up. While other people did know about the team, they didn't give out knowledge of their identity freely, and only did so with people that would keep that secret. "...because the Pink Ranger's been fighting monsters all over the city for over a year! You only got back into town a couple of months ago!"

"OK, you got me. I'm not the Pink Ranger." Erin replied, looking towards the door. Shelby could just tell she was eager to get back out to her adoring public. "But I don't see her coming to say any different. She probably doesn't mind that someone else is keeping people's attention away from her."

"Erin, don't you think the Rangers have secret identities for a reason?" Shelby asked her. "Did you not see all the news reports about the Corsairs? People are STILL circulating that picture of the Green Ranger with that Andresian chick..."

"When do I ever go to nudist beaches?" Erin asked her.

"It wasn't a nudist beach, his shorts got swept away!" Shelby corrected her. "Also...you told everyone where you go to school!"

"Exactly! It'll be great publicity! That means more funding!" Erin said with a grin. "You can thank me when the palaeontology department gets all those new journals and books."

"What if...a monster shows up there looking for you?" Shelby asked her.

"Chillax Shelbster, what makes you think those monsters even watch TV?" Erin asked her. Just then, Shelby's phone started ringing.

"Hold on a moment. I've not finished." Shelby said, answering it. "Hello? You want to speak to the Pink Ranger? What makes you think...?"

Shelby just glared at Erin.

"You want to speak to Erin?" She asked. She put her hand over the mouthpiece as she saw Erin gesturing for the phone enthusiastically. "You gave my number out?" Erin took the phone from Shelby.

"My phone just died, you don't mind do you bestie?" She asked, holding up the phone. "Hello? Yes, this is the Pink Ranger. You want me to do what show? Let me just check my schedule!"

She looked to Shelby, who was, by now, completely speechless. Erin's tall tales were something to behold, but this eclipsed anything Shelby could have thought she was capable of. She was amazed how quickly everyone in kindergarten believed she had written "Tricera Rocks" and flocked to admire her. In a single afternoon, Erin had turned herself into a city-wide celebrity with this one!

"Eduardo Luiz is a big show here isn't it?" Erin asked. Shelby just sighed and nodded.

"It's the highest rated show in the city." Shelby informed her. Erin just grinned.

"You know, I think I can free myself up, pencil me in for tonight!" Erin told the person on the other end. She could see the look on Shelby's face and held the mouth piece.

"Are you alright bestie?" Erin asked her. Shelby just forced a smile.

"Never better!" She said sarcastically, at which Erin went back to her conversation detailing when she was to appear for her first official interview. Shelby stormed away, shaking her head in disbelief. As much as she loved Erin, she wondered if she would ever learn.


	3. Recipe For Disaster

The Rangers had gathered down in the lab at Kendall's insistence. They had wondered if she wanted to talk to them about the recent "discovery" of the Pink Ranger's identity, but when they got down there, she just asked for Shelby's help in processing her latest Dino Charger. It seemed she was so busy, that she hadn't yet caught any of the news. While they were waiting for Kendall to finish and explain how the new weapon would work, they were whiling away their time in any way they could.

"Heads up!" Riley called out, at which everyone ducked as something flew across the room. As it hit the work bench smashing a number of beakers and conical flasks, Kendall just picked it up, and looking at the offending projectile, she turned and glared at Ivan.

"Really Ivan?" Kendall demanded, showing him a mannequin head. She could see Ivan standing next to his practice dummy, holding the offending Ptera Sabre in his hand. He just gestured to the dummy.

"Ms Morgan, it is hardly my fault, this practice dummy you provided me is woefully unfit for purpose." He protested. She just took off her glasses, intensifying her signature death-glare, but it didn't seem to have much effect on the Gold Ranger. Riley came over and interjected between them.

"Well, so be fair we have had it a while." He said, putting his fingers into a gap in the padding and lifting some of it, at which stuffing fell out. "It has seen better days."

"Fine, just...add a practice dummy to the next delivery schedule." She responded, waving this off as she went back to her work. "One of you should clean that up. I don't want Koda stepping on any glass."

"So, how's the new weapon coming?" Tyler asked Shelby. The Pink Ranger was still in a terrible mood about Erin and the whole Pink Ranger situation, but he did hope that working would help her get through some of the frustration.

"It should be just about done." Shelby told him, looking to the task bar, seeing that it was almost full. She gestured to the row of Dino Chargers up in the machinery. "With this new Dino Charger, we should be able to channel the energy of all the Energems through your T-Rex Supercharge Blaster."

"Really?" Tyler asked her. "Um...isn't that kind of a lot of power? I don't mind the power boost, but I don't want the recoil to send me somewhere past Jupiter either."

"It requires the physical contact of everyone channelling their energy." Kendall told him. She noticed that Tyler was just staring blankly at her. "We'll all be holding on. You won't go far."

"Bravo! We should call it, Victory Maximum!" Ivan suggested. Kendall just stared at him for a moment.

"How about, I name the weapons I create, and you clean up the mess you made?" Kendall suggested as she handed him a dustpan and brush. Ivan just rolled his eyes as he went to sweep up broken glass.

Just then, there was an alarm. Kendall just looked to the others.

"Alien Bio Signs in the park." She told them. "I'll finish up here. You all go ahead."

Meanwhile, back at the park, Erin was having the time of her life taking in the adulation. With the whole city now believing she was the Pink Ranger, there was no shortage of admirers wanting to talk to her or get her autograph or take selfies with her. There was some time before her chat show appearance, and so for the meantime, she was just enjoying all of the attention she was getting.

"Hey, I see you skulking around over there, there's no need to be nervous." Erin said as she saw someone a little way off at the back of the crowd. She was hanging around with a big, blonde guy who seemed to be trying to convince her to leave. "Do you want a selfie too?"

"No, I should be fine." The girl told her, seeming a little unimpressed by Erin. Erin just furrowed her brows.

"You know, I really don't mind..."

"No, no, I'm sure you don't, but...I don't want to spoil your fun by letting all your admirers know that you're a fraud!"

"Excuse me? What did you call me?" Erin demanded angrily. The other girl crossed her arms defiantly.

"You heard, I called you a FRAUD!" She said bitterly. "Do you have even the slightest idea what the Rangers sacrifice on a daily basis? They've all risked everything multiple times! Some of them have even DIED! Now you go around telling everyone you're a Ranger just to get popular? Do you have ANY idea how disrespectful that it?"

"Hey, back off lady, this is the Pink Ranger!" One of the adoring fans said, coming to Erin's defence. "What gives you the right to...?"

Just then, a man ran towards them in a panic. He went straight to Erin.

"Pink Ranger, there's a monster in the park! You have to help us!" He rushed out.

Erin just froze up. She had been enjoying the attention so much, that she hadn't stopped to imagine anyone would call on her to actually fight. Everyone was staring at her, waiting on her to act. As she looked to her 'Doubting Thomas', tapping her foot impatiently with her arms folded over her chest, she gulped.

"OK, um...I...need to go." She said, starting to walk. The man stopped her.

"The monster's that way." He said, pointing in the correct direction. Erin just nodded nervously.

"Right...of course. Um...I just...need some privacy to change." She told them.

"You mean morph?" The 'Doubting Thomas' replied. Erin just pointed to her and smiled.

"Yeah...that!" She answered, before running off amid a lot of cheers. The 'Doubting Thomas' and her companion both just shook their heads.

"Well Emma, you have to give her credit, she does have the guts to put her money where her mouth is." He commented.

"Yeah, so did the last guy." Emma groaned. "Come on Orion; let's make sure she doesn't get herself killed before the REAL Rangers show up!"

Erin finally arrived, finding that the monster was already battling the Rangers, breathing a sigh of relief. If she could only keep her head down long enough for the danger to pass, then no one would have to know about her lie. No one except Shelby, and she knew that she would never tell anyone, she never did, no matter how many times she stretched the truth.

Seeing the battle taking place before her, Erin couldn't help thinking about the other times that she had put herself in these situations. She couldn't remember when exactly it started, but she had always had a knack for re-telling stories in such a way as to make her appear better, and more important than she actually was.

"How about just handing your Energems over?" Half-Bake asked the Rangers as he struggled to keep up, swinging around his hammer clumsily.

"Not a chance!" Tyler responded, leaping into the air away from his swing.

"Then I'll just have to pound you all into pound cake!" He answered, continuing with his swings. The Rangers could hardly believe that Heckyl would send this guy after them. Between his ingenious use of Ice Age and Sting Rage, his new partner Singe and the virus planted by Ninja, they had been on the verge of defeat a few times recently. This guy though...to say he left a lot to be desired was an understatement!

"I've had a tougher time with Spike Balls." Chase said casually as he dodged a clumsy swing with ease. "Dude, seriously, you're more likely to give me a cold than hit me!"

"Yeah, why doesn't he have any back-up?" Riley said, noting the odd lack of any viviks or Spike Balls. Even Singe had brought along a few friends when he took on the Rangers in his battles. Sending this guy alone was almost like Heckyl wanted rid of him.

"Guys, let's just finish this off." Tyler suggested. "Let's put this guy out of OUR misery."

"Oh yeah, you won't be saying that when you sample these Butter Bombs I cooked up!" Half Bake called back, throwing something their way. The explosions went off, but as the smoke cleared, the Rangers just looked at him, more out of confusion than any concern.

"Um...that was meant to do...WHAT exactly?" Tyler asked him. Half-Bake just gulped.

"Uh oh, they're barely scratched! I need to get out of here!" He called out, running away. Tyler and the others just looked to each other.

"Think we should just let him go?" Shelby asked him.

"He's not much of a threat to us, but he could hurt someone else." Tyler said with a shrug. Just then, they heard a scream. A little way off, they saw that Half-Bake knocking a large blonde guy into a car with a swing from his hammer, before running away. They could see he had picked someone up, tucking them under his arm. The captive was screaming and kicking as he ran away. Unfortunately, by the time they got over there, Half-Bake was gone, taking his captive with him.

"Are you alright?" Chase asked, helping the guy up, before recognising him. "Orion? What are you doing here?"

"Emma and I were in town getting some shots." Orion told them, rubbing the back of his neck. "We're...kind of on honeymoon. Being a preacher doesn't pay much, so we just went on a tour of local beauty spots."

"Wait, that monster...he got Emma?" Shelby asked, remembering seeing the girl was wearing pink shorts. She just heard a groan and saw some nearby bushes moving.

"As if." Emma grumbled. "He got a lucky shot in that was all. If we had our morphers with us, it'd be a different story, but we decided to leave them behind in case...you know...we got tempted to play hero."

"Wait, if that wasn't Emma, then who was it?" Riley asked them.

"That was some girl who's been going around saying she's the Pink Ranger." Orion told them. "We found her in the park. Emma thought we should keep an eye on her, just in case...you know...this happened."

"Oh my God, Erin!" Shelby rushed out, looking to the others. "He's got Erin!"

"He said something about the Pink Ranger...I thought he was talking about Emma!" Orion told them. "You mean he thinks she's the Pink Ranger?"

"Why would he think that? Shelby was right there with us!" Riley pointed out.

"Sir Riley, I did not get the impression that monster was the sharpest knife in the drawer." Ivan pointed out.

"SIR Riley?" Emma asked, her eyebrow raising a little.

"It's a long story." Riley replied. "Listen, we'd really love to catch up, but..."

"Oh no, we understand completely." Orion assured him. "We'll swing by the museum tomorrow."

With that, the Rangers ran off, leaving Emma and Orion to gather their things. Orion just looked to Emma.

"I wouldn't worry too much." He assured her. "I mean, the last time worked out pretty well."

"Yeah, but the last time Jordan ended up getting powers." Emma reminded him. "And we still ended up having to bury him."

"Then all we can do is hope history doesn't repeat itself." Orion said as they started to head back to their hotel.

Back at the base, Kendall was using her computer to search the city for any sign of Erin, but didn't seem to find any kind of bio-signs. Shelby was sitting, chewing her nails nervously as Tyler held her.

"It'll be OK, Ms Morgan will find her." Tyler assured her.

"I can't believe this is happening. Erin is...infuriating!" Shelby told him. "But...her stories never hurt anyone before. They never put anyone in danger."

"Her...stories?" Tyler asked her. Shelby just looked at him.

"You can't tell me you haven't noticed." Shelby responded, before imitating Erin's voice in a very exaggerated way. "I was a national spelling bee champion, I swam 800 meters, I was head cheerleader, I personally negotiated peace in the Middle East!"

"Well...OK, some of her stories sounded a little far-fetched, but...doesn't everyone do that at times?" Tyler asked her.

"Yeah, but with Erin, it was ALL the time! She always told such wild stories and became popular because of it, even when it was other people who had done the work to do what she claimed she did." Shelby told him.

"I kind of figured 'Tricera Rocks' sounded more like something you'd have written than her." Tyler answered. "I don't know anyone who loves dinosaurs more than my Di-know-it-all."

"If her lies upset you so much, why did you never talk to her about it?" Riley suggested. Shelby just sighed and shrugged her shoulders.

"I never had many friends growing up. Erin's been my best friend for years, and...I guess I was worried I'd lose that." She answered. "But now her lies have gotten her in real trouble, and I don't even know if..."

"Shelby, do you have Erin's number?" Kendall asked her. Shelby just stared at her blankly.

"Um...of course I do, she's my bestie!" Shelby reminded her.

"I can't find alien bio signs, but maybe if I hack the cell phone signals, I can find Erin..."

"Oh, wait, no, her phone died." Shelby responded, remembering their earlier conversation. She rolled her eyes. "She actually gave out MY number to keep getting her calls, can you believe that?"

Shelby suddenly paused as a thought occurred to her. She quickly started rifling through her bag and her pockets, before pausing.

"She never gave my phone back. I stormed off before she could." Shelby realised, before turning to Kendall. "Ms Morgan, Erin has my phone!"

"I'm already on it." Kendall assured her, bringing up the display. "The signal's weak, but I have a location. Come on, let's go."

"Wait, we're all going?" Tyler asked her. "I don't think that's exactly necessary. He's not really much of a threat..."

"No, but it'll give us a chance to try out the new Charger." Kendall told them.

"Ah yes, the Victory Maximum..."

"Don't push your luck!" Kendall warned Ivan. "You still owe me for new glass wear!"

Somewhere under the city, Erin was in a foul-smelling cavern, in a chamber that Half-Bake had brought her to. She was continuing to scream for help, even though by now it seemed more than a little pointless. She had no idea where she was, and even if she did, she doubted many people would be running towards her to help her.

She was tied up on the floor, watching as the monster seemed to be working on some kind of pastry.

"A little of this, a little of that...mmm...this is going to be so good." Half-Bake told himself. "I'm sure Master Heckyl will forget all about cinnamon rolls when he gets this."

"Please, please let me go." Erin begged him.

"Let you go? HA! Why would I want to do that?" Half-Bake asked her. "This'll show Heckyl and all those that laughed at me. I've only been out of the ship one day without any reinforcements, and I already have me a Ranger!"

"A Ranger?" Erin asked, before remembering that she had been running her mouth to anyone that would listen, proclaiming herself to be the Pink Ranger. "No, you've got it wrong; I'm not the Pink Ranger!"

"Oh, really? Then why have you been on television telling everyone that you are?" Half-Bake asked her.

"I...I lied alright?" Erin cried as her panic overtook her. "I lie, that's...that's just what I do! I lie to make people think I'm better than I am! I'm nothing special!"

"You expect me to believe that ANYONE would think it's a good idea to lie about being a Ranger in a city that's full of monsters who are specifically hunting for Rangers?" Half-Bake asked her. "How stupid do you think I'd have to be to believe that? No one would be that stupid!"

Erin just started crying hysterically, realising the position she was in. She had convinced the whole city that she was a Ranger. Now it seemed she had even convinced one of the monsters that had been out looking for Rangers! Now, she was here, in his clutches, with seemingly no hope of escape. She could only think about Half-Bake's words, and the fact Shelby had given her much the same warning. They were right, she was an idiot, and now this monster was going to do God knows what to her all because she lied because wanted to be popular.

"Ah, this is almost ready. Now, it's just time for the secret ingredient!" He said, coming over and picking Erin up, before dumping her in the middle of the pastry. He immediately rolled it over and started crimping the edges. Erin struggled, but it seemed like this was no ordinary pastry. She could barely budge an inch.

"Wait, you're...you're going to EAT ME?" She screamed.

"Master Heckyl wanted decent food, this time I think he'll appreciate the secret ingredient." He said as he started dusting the pastry down. "Hm...I forgot to take your Energem first...oh well...I guess it'll be just like the sixpence in a Christmas Pudding. It'll make a nice surprise for whoever gets that piece!"

"You...you're preparing this in a SEWER!" Erin reminded him. "How is that sanitary?"

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that, I just need to make sure I cook you properly." He answered, gesturing to a huge oven he had prepared. As he started brushing down a glaze on the pastry, Erin took one look at it and fainted.


	4. Erin's Apology

The team arrived in the middle of a crossroads, right in the middle of the city. Kendall was checking her GPS scanner, walking around with little to no notice as to where exactly she was going, as evidenced by the squeal of tyres and the blare of horns from motorists that had to hammer on the brakes so they wouldn't run over the Purple Ranger. Fortunately, since she was morphed, not only would any hits not have been lethal, but the motorists didn't seem too hostile when they saw that it was a Ranger on official business.

"Sorry, we'll clear the street as soon as possible miss." Riley said to a motorist, patting the hood of his car as he and the others formed around Kendall. "Ms Morgan, it's not often I agree with Heckyl, but you really should be more careful around traffic."

"I don't understand this; according to the GPS signal we should be practically right on top of her." Kendall told them.

"I guess that explains why we've been playing blocker for you walking around this same block four times." Chase commented. It wasn't just traffic Kendall was oblivious to in her concentration on the GPS signal, Chase and the others had to subtly guide her around street signs, lamp posts and even pedestrians on her journey. Kendall started shaking her scanner.

"I can't understand this. Maybe they ditched the cell." Kendall suggested. "Maybe we should fan out and..."

"Uh...Ms Morgan?" Shelby asked, pointing to a manhole cover that was open ajar. Kendall rolled her eyes.

"Of course, why didn't I think of that?" She asked, heading over and shifting the manhole cover over to reveal the passage. She had a look around, but couldn't see anything. "Alright, there's only one thing for it!"

"You're not seriously suggesting..." Chase's words tailed off as she hopped down the manhole. "...Okay, I guess we're going down then."

"Come, the damsel awaits us in the catacombs for rescue!" Ivan declared, leaping down. "Heeeyyyaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!"

"Yeah, it looks like we're going down then." Riley answered. "But maybe we should use the ladder?"

Tyler and Shelby responded by leaping down as well. Chase just sighed and shook his head.

"OK, I guess that's another way too." He replied. "Go on Koda, you're the cave guy."

Down in the sewer, the others started to gather around Kendall as Chase and Riley climbed down the ladder, finally joining the others. Kendall examined her scanner again.

"Now this...I didn't expect." Chase said, looking around with surprise at the tunnels they were in. The descent into the sewers had been a lot longer than he had expected, and the sewers themselves were very wide and spacious. He didn't claim to be an expert, but as far as he knew, sewers were generally little more than large, glorified pipes.

"Looking at these caverns, this is stone, not brick. I don't think these were always sewers." Riley told him. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say they appropriated some of the natural caves that ran under the city anyway."

"You mean they found a site of historical significance and instead of preserving it...they turned it into a sewer?" Tyler asked, sounding a little surprised. Riley shrugged.

"They did it to the Salem Witch Dungeons." Riley answered. "They were found when they were digging the foundations for a cell phone tower. The company let historians take all the pictures and everything they needed to re-create it a few miles down and then built it anyway!"*

"Are you guys seriously talking about this now?" Shelby asked impatiently. The truth was, as much as it was a sewer, on any other day, she'd probably have wanted to study it thoroughly, but right now, her only thought was on her friend. "Ms Morgan, are you having any luck?"

"The signal's a lot stronger, I've got a lock." Kendall told them. "Erin is right down..."

"This way." Koda interrupted her. They all looked to where Koda was standing. He pointed to something on the floor. "Footprint, look like monsters."

"Then we know where the varlet has taken the maiden!" Ivan declared, bringing out his Ptera Sabre. "Onward my comrades!"

With that, he took off, running down the tunnel, splashing through muck and mire the Rangers didn't even want to think about. They all just blinked as they watched him go.

"So...we're going for the subtle approach?" Chase asked sarcastically. Shelby brought out her Dino Sabre.

"Ivan, hold up!" She screamed out, running after him. "Save some for me!"

In the main chamber, Erin was starting to come to. She had almost started to think that this was all just a horrible nightmare until she found herself still wrapped in the pastry. Half-Bake was just sprinkling a few more spices onto the pastry, before going to check the oven.

"Perfect, it's almost up to temperature." He cackled as he rubbed his hands together with glee. "This'll be my finest..."

"WAIT!" Erin called out. Half-Bake just grumbled under his breath as he turned to look at her.

"What is it now Pink Ranger?" He asked her.

"Um..." She stammered, trying to think of something, anything she could say to stall him for as long as possible. "What herbs and spices are you using?"

"Excuse me?" He asked her. "Are you questioning...?"

"You...you do want to make this your finest dish ever right?" Erin asked him. "So, what are you using?"

"I suppose there's no harm, it's not like you're going to share my recipes with anyone." He answered as he thought about it. "I went with some salt and pepper, those are a given, I put in some mint, some parsley, a little sage..."

"Get away from her you fiend!" Ivan roared as he ran into the room, swinging his Ptera Sabre into him. Half-Bake stumbled away, before snatching up his hammer. He swung for Ivan, who rolled away, adopting a double-handed grip on his Sabre.

"Gold Ranger, thank God!" Erin screamed as she saw him. "This freak was going to eat me!"

"Have no fear madam." He assured her. "The next meal THIS monster will enjoy shall be in the afterlife! Have at thee!"

Back on the ship, Heckyl was sitting on his Command Chair, looking somewhat gloomy. He had been in a terrible mood since he had heard about their supply situation. Singe, Wrench and Fury came into the room, bowing respectfully.

"You called for us?" Singe asked him. Heckyl just gestured around the room.

"Do either of you notice anything wrong with this picture?" Heckyl asked them in response. "Its dinner time, and I don't see any dinner!"

"Master Heckyl, we did send out a Spike Ball for more supplies, but unfortunately, reports show that it was destroyed." Singe told him.

"They destroyed my Spike Ball?" He shrieked. "And the groceries?"

"They're gone too." Singe answered. "I'm sure we can make something from..."

"Wait...why are you making the dinner? Isn't that Half-Bake's job?" He interrupted them. They all just looked around each other, trying to think how to answer.

"Um...none of us have seen him since we laughed at him earlier." Wrench said nervously. "His equipment is gone too..."

"You think he actually went to take on the Rangers?" Heckyl yelled. They all looked on nervously, wondering what he was going to do next. He just sighed and waved them off. "Oh well, it's not like his cooking will be missed. I'll go out for pizza or something. We can figure out his replacement in the morning."

Back in the sewers, Ivan and Half-Bake were locked in battle. Ivan was actually laughing as he took on the monster, dodging his attacks as Half-Bake smashed his hammer into the stone. Tyler just looked to Kendall.

"It almost seems a shame to break this up when he's having so much fun." Tyler commented. Kendall just shook her head.

"When do we ever get the chance to test out new weapons against a target with so little risk?" Kendall asked him. "Gold Ranger, stop messing! We've got this!"

"Ah, now the rest of you have gotten here." Half-Bake said breathlessly as Ivan broke off to rejoin his team. "Hand over your Energems and maybe I'll give you your precious Pink Ranger back."

"Think again!" Shelby called out, stepping to the front. "You've been messing with the wrong Pink Ranger!"

"What? You mean...you were telling the TRUTH?" Half-Bake yelled in panic, looking between Erin and the Pink Ranger. He wasn't the brightest creature in existence, but even he knew enough to know that no person could be in two places at the same time. "Never mind, I have enough ingredients to bake all of you into a pie!"

"You won't be baking anything anymore!" Tyler responded, morphing into T-Rex Supercharge Mode. "The kitchen's about to get closed down!"

The team all formed up behind Tyler as Half-Bake pulled a large wad of dough out of a bucket.

"Here, have some of my destruction dough!" He called out, throwing it at them. The team just stood firm as the dough hit them, sparking off their suits, but causing no significant harm. The monster looked on in horror, seeing them still there, with Tyler's blaster pointed right at him. "Um...is it too late to talk about this?"

"Does this answer your question?" Tyler asked as he pulled the trigger. In a massive blast that shook the whole room, Half-Bake was utterly destroyed by the resulting blast. Tyler just turned to her.

"You did it again Ms..."

Kendall clamped a hand over his mouth, before pointing in Erin's direction, reminding him not to use their real names in front of non-Rangers. Ivan made his way over to where Erin was still trapped in the pastry.

"Now, let's release you. There's no reason for you to be trapped here a moment longer." He said, slicing apart the pastry with his Ptera Sabre. He helped Erin out of the dough, at which she just looked to the Rangers apologetically.

"You...you all saved me; even after everything I said and did." Erin said apologetically. "You would have had every right to just let that monster turn me into a pastie and yet...you came down here and risked your lives to save me."

"It's what we do miss." Ivan assured her. Erin pushed her way through to the Pink Ranger.

"I owe you the biggest apology of all." She stated. "All of the wonderful things you've done, all the risks you've taken and...I was taking credit for it. You must really have hated me."

Realising that this was her chance to make Erin understand her frustrations, she just put a hand on her shoulder.

"I'd say I was more confused why you would take credit for things other people have done." Shelby told her. "I'm sure you're an amazing person in your own right. Maybe...maybe that's who people really need to get to know."

"I guess...I have made a habit out of this." Erin responded, wiping away a tear as she thought about it. "I'll clear things up. I swear I will. I'll let everyone know that I made all this up."

"People don't like being lied to." Riley pointed out. "Are you sure you're ready to face that?"

"I don't WANT to do it." Erin admitted. "But, being wrapped in a giant pastie gave me a lot of time to think, and there are a lot of people out there that really did risk everything, some who've even given everything that deserve a lot better than what I did. I owe it to you, and to all of them."

"That is a brave and noble choice." Ivan complimented her, putting his arm around her. "Now, come, let us leave this place behind. It smells worse than the Prince's outhouse after a banquet."

"Ivan, it's a sewer." Riley reminded him as they walked away. "What did you expect it to smell like?"

Elsewhere in the city, Heckyl walked into a pizza parlour, casually strolling up to the counter. He had a look around while the counter assistant tried to get his attention.

"Jungle Karma Pizza, how may I help you?" The young girl asked him. Heckyl made his way to the counter, smiling at her.

"I'm going to require, oh...fifty pizzas." He told her. The young girl just blinked at him.

"F...f...fifty?" She asked, looking astounded by the order. "That's going to take quite a while to prepare..."

"Oh, you don't need to worry, I'm very patient." He told her. "I'll also require all the ingredients in your pantry, your fridges and your freezer!"

"Sir, I don't understand." She replied. Heckyl powered up an energy ball in his hand.

"Then how about I clarify the situation for you?" Heckyl said as he blasted a stack of pizza boxes. A legion of viviks flooded into the restaurant, coming in to grab everything that wasn't nailed down. "Give me everything in the restaurant now, and I won't raze it to the ground!"

"Y...y...yes sir!" The girl stammered in response, quickly going into the back to begin preparing the food, while Heckyl's minions picked the place clean.

Back at the museum, the Rangers were all gathered around a screen, watching the latest breaking news footage. Erin was on the screen, underneath a banner, declaring the Pink Ranger Hoax Scandal. Emma and Orion were standing either side of her. Not wanting Erin to have to face things alone, Shelby had called in a favour to ask for a couple of publically known Rangers to be there to accept an apology.

"Thank you all for coming at such short notice." She began her statement to the assembled press. "I've already apologised to the current team of Rangers, but I owe the same apology to everyone else that has heard and believed in my lies. I should never have claimed to be a Ranger. It was wrong, and I'm sorry. What the Rangers do on a daily basis is amazing. What they risk is an awesome gift to the world that we can never repay, and the least we can do for them is to respect that gift enough to just be grateful for it, and not to use it to make ourselves look good."

Erin turned to Orion and Emma.

"Most of all, I apologise to everyone who has ever served as a Ranger. Some of you have risked everything, some of you have sacrificed a lot, and some of you, sadly, have paid the ultimate price. By claiming that I was a Ranger, I disrespected all of you." Erin told them. "I only hope you can forgive me."

"I think I speak for all Rangers when I say, knowing what you went through, I think you've learned your lesson. Apology accepted." Emma answered, hugging Erin. In the museum, watching the press conference, Tyler was the first to comment.

"That really took a lot of guts to face up to that." He complimented her, looking to his girlfriend. "I can see why you and Erin are such good friends."

"That's the sad thing. I don't think Erin realises that when people figure out her lies, that's all anyone remembers about her." Shelby responded. "Maybe if she'd just let people know her instead of seeing stuff like this..."

"Shelby, she here." Koda told her, gesturing to the door. Erin walked in, getting a few cat-calls from people in the restaurant. She looked uncomfortable, but from the looks of things, it was something she had already experienced a few times.

"Hey, why don't you show us how you take down monsters!" A guy called over, getting some laughs from his table. Shelby just stood up, throwing an angry look his way.

"Yeah, because I'm sure none of YOU has ever told a lie to make yourselves look better!" Shelby warned them. "You have a problem with her, you know where the door is, and I'll happily toss you through it!"

"Thanks Shelby, but...it's alright. I deserve it." Erin answered, sitting with them at the table. She sounded a little weary as she sat down, handing Shelby back her phone. "You can have that back, but you might want to change the number. I've already gotten a lot of messages and calls that...well...I'm sure you get the idea."

"Erin, it'll get better." Shelby assured her. Erin just looked to her with tears in her eyes.

"Yeah, well...let me know when that's meant to happen." She sobbed. Shelby could see that all this was getting to Erin and took her hands. She no longer cared about all the credit she had stolen from others. This was the Erin she knew, the one that had been her best friend all her life. "I had a lot of time to think, and...It's not just the Ranger thing; I've done this to a lot of people, even you! I don't know why you want to be around me! You should probably have left me high and dry like everyone else did!"

"Erin, I'm not angry, I just...don't know why you do this to yourself in the first place." Shelby admitted. Erin wiped away a few tears.

"It...it always just looked so easy for everyone else. They got homes and they made friends and everything. Dad was always moving around so much, I never stayed anywhere long enough to do the same thing. I never won any trophies or became captain of any teams or anything like that. Hell, by the time I'd unpacked my suitcase it was pretty much time to pack up and go again." Erin told her. "Everyone else had these really impressive stories about all the amazing things they did and all the things they could do...I just figured...maybe if I had a few of those stories myself..."

"Erin, you don't need to impress anyone." Shelby told her.

"That's easy for you to say, you were already so amazing and popular." Erin answered. Shelby just blinked and backed away.

"Wait...you thought I was POPULAR?" Shelby asked her.

"How could you not be? You always got top grades in school, you were head of that Palaeontology club you started, you were so creative with your songs and..."

"Erin...I was NEVER popular!" Shelby told her. "Other kids thought I was a know-it-all because I got those marks! I was head of the Palaeontology club because I was the ONLY MEMBER! That song...OK, that song was kind of catchy when we were seven, but...you don't think the kids are still singing that do you? They moved onto the next boy band three weeks later!"

"I...I just always thought...that's how you made friends. People liked you because of the amazing things you can do." Erin sniffed. "I was never anywhere long enough to get achievements like that, but then I figured...I was never anywhere long enough for people to figure that out either."

"People who are only your friends because of what you can do for them are not your true friends." Ivan told her. "Those who stick by you, even when you do wrong, those are your true friends."

"Thanks guys. I'm really sorry I've been so stupid." Erin said to them.

"I'm going to go get us some ice cream." Shelby told her. "You guys want to help?"

As they left to get some ice cream, Ivan remained with her. Erin couldn't look at him, wondering what he must think of her. She'd made it pretty clear that she thought he was attractive, but now...she didn't know what he must think of her.

"What you did today took a tremendous amount of courage." Ivan told her. "To err is human, but to admit to such failings is an act of a truly brave heart. Even the boldest of people has shown reluctance in such circumstances."

"Thanks, but I really don't think you've ever done anything as stupid as I have." Erin told him. Ivan just smiled.

"There was a legendary tale from my homeland about a knight Sir Ivan." Ivan told her. "There were a band of brigands who attacked convoys and caravans seeking to loot them. There were patrols yes, but on the whole these attacks went unchecked, until one such raid happened to strike a caravan on which Prince George's cousin Gwendolyn was travelling. The Prince ordered Sir Ivan to seek out the leader of these brigands and bring him in. So the tale goes that he did so. He single-handedly slaughtered over fifty of the brigands, and brought their leader back in chains to be hung for treason."

"OK?" Erin replied, looking a little confused.

"There is, however, a lesser-known version of the tale." Ivan told her. "Ivan, believing he would meet resistance, took a contingent of over fifty men with him. When he arrived, he found only half a dozen brigands, and their leader already beaten and bound. The brigands knew that attacking a caravan with one of the Royal Family on board was a step too far and would inevitably lead to their eradication by the crown. So, far from a spectacular battle where he single-handedly slaughtered fifty men, the brigands simply handed over their leader and begged for clemency. Knowing that there were likely more waiting in the wings, Ivan took their leader and left without so much as a single sword being drawn."

He took her hand in his, and drew in closer.

"However, I know which version likely sounded better when told at the local tavern." He said with a smile. "Even the most noble among us like to see our reputation massaged once in a while."

Erin just smiled as he kissed her hand.

"I am certain you have a great many talents my lady." He said to her. "I know you trounced me at chess. You also have something of a flair for fiction. Perhaps you may want to exercise that?"

"Fiction?" Erin asked him. He just shrugged.

"What is a lie but good storytelling?" He asked her. "Though...generally in fiction people know the tales they read are not true. That way they don't get upset."

"Thanks Ivan." She replied as he got up to go and help the others bring in the ice cream. She knew that for the foreseeable future, she would have her lies and her deceit cast up to her, but with Shelby and her new friends, waiting for all that to die down didn't seem quite so bad anymore.

 **A/N:** The little factoid I put up marked with a * is actually true! I visited Boston many years ago, and as part of that I took a tour of Salem. I was astounded to hear that the true witch dungeons were in fact several miles from Salem and had been completely destroyed in the building of a cell phone tower! I guess some people would say...that's progress?


	5. Koda's Big Moment

It was early evening in the Ranger base, and the team was getting ready to go out for the night. Heckyl had been a little quiet lately, but it was a little difficult for them to figure out if that should just worry them more. While direct attacks were always stressful, the fact was that Heckyl always was more cerebral than Sledge in his approach, and when he wasn't attacking, they had to presume he was considering his next move. Kendall had to think Heckyl having time to think was almost worse than Heckyl actively involved in an attack, given the fact that on a couple of occasions now, he had come pretty close to outright defeating the Rangers completely.

"Alas, my loyal sparring partner, this is where we must part ways." Ivan lamented as he laid his practice dummy to rest in a crate, ready to be taken away for disposal. It had been by its best for a while, constantly "bleeding" padding whenever it was hit too hard, and sections of it were barely hanging on. The head had already been completely removed, which had prompted the decision to order a replacement.

"It's just a practice dummy Ivan and I keep telling you, the replacement should be here any day now." Kendall groaned as he forlornly closed over the lid on its 'casket', beginning to nail it shut. "Would you hurry up with that? I asked you to do it earlier! It's a big night for Koda, and we don't want to be late."

Koda was always respectful of Carl's booking plans, and refused to give out spoilers for his wrestling shows, but he was only too happy to tell his friends whenever he was in an important match and wanted them along for support. His career was coming along well, and he had been steadily working his way up the card in his tag-team with Jack, culminating in tonight being a ladder match for a title shot. With the exception of Kendall, they weren't really huge wrestling fans, but were always happy to go along for moral support for Koda, and his girlfriend Alessandra, who was the current heavyweight champion in Carl's company. She was just finishing up with some work's e-mail as she got ready. Ivan finished driving in the last nail, before backing away from the crate.

"That is quite a long correspondence. You don't normally deal so closely with a donor." Ivan commented. Kendall just let out a low growl.

"Tell me about it. I swear I've had to go through all the security arrangements, practically describing every millimetre of the museum for this guy." She responded. "If he wasn't donating such a valuable piece, I'd probably have told him where to go by now."

"The museum does have an impressive track record. So far none of our exhibits have ever gone missing or been damaged." Ivan pointed out.

"Yes, but we have only just re-opened after our 'gas explosion', so I can understand his reluctance." Kendall answered as she sent the e-mail. "Alright, hopefully that should just about do it. Come on, the others are waiting."

Up in the cafe, the others were taking advantage of the fact the museum was closed to meet up for coffee before heading to the local theatre where the show was taking place. Allison, Leanne and Erin were joining them, taking advantage of the fact they could all go out together for once. Everyone was laughing and having a good time as they waited for Kendall and Ivan to finish up.

"So, yeah...I'm glad that now there's another scandal for the student population to focus on." Erin giggled as she finished up her story. "Thank God for TA's that can't keep their hands to themselves."

Erin was still getting something of a hard time over the 'Rangergate' scandal. She always knew she was going to be on the receiving end of some criticism once her lies about being a Ranger were exposed, but she knew it was something she had to go through. Unlike a lot of her earlier stories, this time she wasn't leaving town straight afterwards. She actually had to face the consequences, namely all the people who had to weigh in on her about it. Allison just put a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, don't worry about it. If I worried about the stuff people said whenever I did something stupid...let's just say I'd still be locked up in my bedroom." She remarked to a few laughs. Shelby came in from the bathroom, where she had been changing. The team all stopped talking for a moment and stared at her.

"What? What is it?" She asked them. "Is it my hair? Do I have something on my face?" There were a few laughs.

"Seriously, you're wearing Alessandra's merchandise?" Riley asked her. Shelby just looked down to her T-shirt. Since the debut of her Cuahocelotl gimmick, Alessandra's career and popularity had hit a whole new level of popularity. Her distinctive new look, especially her extensive and unique body paint job had been a marketing hit that had spawned an extensive collection of merchandise that was just flying off the tables at Carl's events. It was a huge boon to Alessandra, who had noticed not only her payoffs for the shows going up according to her new status on the card, but her share of the merchandise dues was also getting a lot healthier. Shelby looked a little sheepish.

"What? It's a cool T-shirt." She said as her friends just looked to her.

"We are meant to be going to support Koda." Chase reminded her, holding up the sign he was taking to the arena. Shelby just rolled her eyes.

"Alessandra's our friend too; it's possible to support both of them." Shelby answered. Just then, Kendall and Ivan arrived. Kendall was wearing one of Koda's T-shirts, and she was just putting on her jacket as she got there.

"Sorry about that, I swear that man seems to think he can monopolise my time." Kendall complained. "More accurately, his assistant does. I swear, I don't know if I've e-mailed my mom this often."

"Alright, so are we all ready to go?" Ivan asked. He offered Erin a hand. "Allow me to help you up milady."

"Why, thank you, such a gentleman." She said as she accepted the hand. She looked to Shelby who just rolled her eyes. Erin had made it pretty clear that she had taken a massive shine to Ivan.

"OK, come on, let's go." Shelby told them. "We want to get there before all the marks hog the good seats."

Meanwhile, at the arena, Koda was pacing, trying to work off his nerves as he waited for his biggest match to date. He was scheduled into a ladder match that would determine the next team to challenge for the tag team championships, now that the current champions, the Wolves, now had an opening in their schedule to defend them. Koda knew it was a massive opportunity that would see him propelled up the card. Before now, he and Jack had been steadily climbing the card, and were now regularly occupying the spot just after intermission. A championship bout with a team that had the reputation of The Wolves would cement them as some of the top stars on Carl's shows.

"Koda, sit down." Alessandra told him, taking hold of his hand. "Try calm down. Take deep breath..."

"My tummy feel all strange, feel ill." Koda told her. "I scared I mess up."

"If you think that's bad, how do you think I felt before my match with Flair at the Tokyo Dome?" Jack asked, picking up his hip flask, fumbling it a little as he did. Koda just looked to him.

"You nervous too?" Koda asked him. Jack just shrugged it off.

"Kid, there's not much that makes me nervous anymore." He responded. Koda watched as Alessandra continued to tape up her right knee. One of the upshots of her promotion higher up the card was a busier schedule, and tougher matches. She finished up, before sliding a support bandage over it, and pulling up her tights to cover the support. She saw the way Koda looked at her and smiled.

"No worry, I know difference between hurt and injured." She assured him. Koda was extremely protective of Alessandra, especially after her shoulder injury had sidelined her for so long. She took her career seriously and like many worked on through injuries. "I promise I no wrestle if too hurt."

"Yeah, suck it up buttercup. I haven't had an ACL in my left knee since the late nineties." Jack teased her light-heartedly. At that moment, Carl came into the room, at which the wrestlers fell quiet.

"Alright guys, gather around, I have the order right here, so pick up your ears and pay attention!" Carl told them. "Evan and Mikey, you two are going on first. I'm giving you a shot here, so I'm expecting you to deliver. I better not see another shit bomb like you pulled in Cleveland. Evan, you're going over. Next we have Anna Conda versus Artemis, Anna; you're getting the nod here. I've got a lot of interest here from Tampa, so be on your game. Kolossal Koallition vs. The Gazelles in a street fight with the Koallition going over, Harry, you and Deadpool are closing out for the intermission. I want those gimmick tables hot, so give them something to remember!"

He started looking further up the schedule for the second half of his card.

"Kamikaze and Exterminator are going on after intermission, Kamikaze, you're going over. Alpha Flight vs Devastation, the Flight are getting the win, then we have our dual main event." He carried on, looking to Koda and Jack and smiling. "Koda, you and Jack are going up against Red Dawn in the ladder match for the title shot, and you're going over. I've already talked to Jack about the long-term, so when you're laying out your match, talk to him, Jack; you're the Ring General in this. Lastly, for the strap we've got Alessandra Vs. Omega, Alessandra, you're retaining. OK guys, go ahead and lay out your matches. Keep it hot out there, we're making waves and I don't want that to stutter now!"

As Carl went out to organise the other technicalities of the show, talking to the lighting guys and suchlike, Koda looked to Alessandra.

"Good luck." She told him, getting up and looking around. "Kenny! We talk match now?"

Red Dawn, a dynamic tag team from Eastern Europe, came over, shaking hands with Koda and Jack as they went aside to discuss their match. Jack pulled them all in close.

"Alright, Carl's got something in mind, so I want you all to listen really carefully." Jack told them. "This is the closing sequence."

On the ship, Heckyl came into Wrench's lab, finding him working on the resurrection machine. He found a lot of his work with that thing a little distasteful, but given that two of his most prominent successes had come from monsters brought back by it, he really couldn't argue with its value. Wrench had contacted him to inform him he had an idea, and he wanted Heckyl to be present to see it come to fruition.

"Alright Wrench, I got your message. Now, why exactly am I here?" Heckyl asked him, his nose wrinkling as he thought about this place. Heckyl was insane, and infinitely cruel, but even he had limits to what made him comfortable. The idea of working with the corpses of fallen warriors was more than he was willing to stomach. When things died, he liked them to stay dead.

"I've got something in mind, a monster that I want to create that I think will..."

"Please, spare me the sales pitch, I'd really rather not spend any more time down here than I need to." Heckyl said, bringing out a handkerchief and placing it under his nose. "I'm a little unclear as to who you're bringing back. Last I heard, you didn't have enough genetic material to bring back any other monsters. Those Rangers have gotten wise to your necromancy and started destroying my monsters completely."

"Not completely." Wrench corrected him as he looked through a collection of items that had been gathered from the sites of their unsuccessful battles. "I don't have enough genetic material to bring back any single monster, that much is true. But I do have some trace DNA from some of these possessions, so with a little tweaking and some creative manipulation of the coding, I should be able to get the machine to combine the DNA into a usable strain. Yes, I think these will do."

"You want to combine the genetic material of more than one monster?" Heckyl asked him. He didn't claim to be an expert, but that sounded a little beyond his comfort zone. He was already reticent about bringing monsters back from the dead, but creating them from scratch sounded a little too much like playing God for his liking.

"By combining DNA, I should be able to create a hybrid monster that will combine the monsters' abilities into something beneficial." Wrench told him, throwing some coins and a medallion into the machine. "In this instance, I'm going to combine Spellbinder and Gold Digger."

Heckyl pulled on his goggles and watched as Wrench pulled the lever, activating the machine. Before their eyes as the device sparked and light bathed the room. The limited genetic material was combined and gave birth to a new monster. It was tall, with a black, feathered body, the medallion set into its chest, and Gold Digger's crown for a head. It was holding Gold Digger's pick axe weapon.

"What, where...where am I?" The monster asked, looking a little dazed and confused. Wrench gestured to the monster.

"May I present to you...Spell Digger!" He declared proudly. "Once I've given him his mental conditioning, he should be able to cast a spell on Gold Digger's coins that will make anyone that touches them greedy!"

"Greed? That's your plan?" Heckyl asked somewhat sceptically. "Alright, I'll ask. What's so great about greed?"

"Greed is one of the most destructive emotions in humans. It's led to more direct conflict than any other emotion!" Wrench told him. Heckyl held up a hand.

"I thought that was religion?" He pointed out. Wrench shook his head.

"Religion's often been used as an excuse to cover for the real motive which is generally greed." Wrench pointed out. "If the Rangers are more focused on gaining wealth for themselves than on doing what's best for the planet, they'll be so divided they'll be easy pickings!"

"You know...this may not be an altogether terrible idea." Heckyl answered, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "How long will this conditioning take?"

"I should have him ready to go by tomorrow if I start now." Wrench replied. Heckyl just smiled.

"Then contact me when he's ready." He said as he looked around. "In the meantime, I really need to shower."

With that, he walked away, leaving Wrench to take his new monster to be conditioned. Spell Digger right now was a blank slate, but within hours, once he learned his purpose and how to use his powers, he would be a force to be reckoned with!

Back at the arena, the show was well underway. The Rangers, along with the rest of the crowd were cheering on the action as Koda and Jack took on the Red Dawn for their championship opportunity.

A ladder match was, on the surface, a pretty simple concept. A prize of some description, usually a contract or title, was hanging above the ring. The first one to climb a ladder and take it down won the match, and the associated prize. However, as with all things, it was rarely that simple.

Ladder matches were considered among the most extreme and dangerous matches in professional wrestling. Utilising ladders introduced a lot of dangers that weren't present in other matches. Apart from heavy metal ladders, the main thing to be added was heights. People being pulled down or thrown down from ladders had a much longer way to go before they hit the ground!

Jack grabbed one of his opponents around the waist and arched backwards, German suplexing him right onto a ladder that had been lying in the ring. As he moved him to set up the ladder to make an attempt to climb up to claim the contract, he cast a glance to Koda, who had taken a ladder to the face earlier and was still trying to recover. Jack started climbing as the other member of the team slid into the ring with another ladder.

Jack ascended the ladder, getting to the top and reaching up for the contract. He was just a little way short, his fingers grazing it, but just unable to grab it. He went up another couple of rungs, but before he could grab the contract, he was hit full in the face as his opponent used his ladder as a battering ram. Jack pitched backwards, falling to the mat with a loud crash.

Both members of the Red Dawn started to work over Jack on the floor, before they got an idea. Dragging him to the middle of the ring, they placed a ladder on top of him, pinning him underneath. With that, they started climbing, adding their bodyweight, making it impossible for Jack to move the ladder off him. It looked like they were set for an easy win.

Koda had barely recovered, and came back into the ring, grabbing one of his opponents, pulling him backwards off the ladder, slamming him into the mat. Climbing up the other side of the ladder, he got to the top, meeting his opponent up there.

The fans were going wild as the two men traded punches at the top of the ladder, wondering just who was going to give first. Grabbing the man's hair, Koda rammed his face into the top of the ladder, stunning him, before picking the man up on his shoulders. To a huge ovation, he pitched the man down, where he hit the mat hard. Climbing the last couple of rungs, Koda snatched down the contract, taking the match as the bell rang.

"Oh my God, Koda did it! He did it!" Chase rushed out excitedly. "They're getting a shot at the championships!"

They all knew that the matches were pre-arranged, but they knew how important a step this was. To be put into a championship match, it said that Carl had a lot of faith in Koda and Jack as a draw. They now understood why Koda wanted them to be there tonight.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, your winners, and new Number One contenders for the tag team championships, Koda, and the Deer Hunter Jack Malone!" The Ring announcer called out the victory as Red Dawn rolled out of the ring to give Koda and Jack their moment. Jack was now on his knees as Koda paced around the ring, waving the contract excitedly. The crowd were chanting Koda's name loudly as he celebrated. Koda went to Jack, offering him a hand to help him up. Jack just looked up to him, before reaching for the ropes, getting up himself. Their music suddenly cut off, before another track started up. They both looked to the entrance ramp as two men walked out. One man had a crew cut, while the other was slightly smaller with a kind of Mohawk haircut. They were wearing jeans, while the T-shirts they wore were their own merchandise.

Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards, collectively known as The Wolves, were considered by many to be one of the greatest tag teams in the business. They had won the belts in Carl's company some time ago, but between a few unfortunately timed injuries and their hectic schedules, it had been a while since he was able to have them defend their titles. He was fortunate that they had a window for him, and wanted to bring them in. The fans erupted as they walked out onto the stage, the belts over their shoulders. Davey had a mic in his hand, and raised it to his mouth.

"Cut the music!" He called out. "Now, we've been away a while, but while we've been all over the world, all we've been hearing is that there's a new team making waves here."

"We're nothing if not fighting champions." Eddie chipped in, bringing up a microphone. "Yes, you are a phenomenal team, and as of this moment, you are now the number one contenders to our Tag Team Championships!"

"But you know what they say, be careful what you wish for!" Davy concluded. "Get ready, because now, you get to face us, and the entire Wolves Nation!"

With that, they both made guns gestures in the direction of Koda and Jack as their music hit. They posed for a moment to make their point, before heading for the back. They had made their point; they had set up the match for the upcoming show. Koda and Jack left the ring as the ring crew removed the ladders in preparation for the final match of the night.


	6. Which One's The Dummy?

At the Embassy, Phillipe came into Margaret's room, aiming to see her and cheer her up following her most recent check-ups. While there were encouraging signs, her treatments following the amputation had hit her pretty hard. She had barely left her room since she had been brought back to the Embassy, and the constant cycle of chemotherapy left her feeling very ill and drained most of the time.

When he got into the room, he found the doctor measuring up her leg. He was a little surprised to find that she was dressed, and not still in her nightwear. The doctor finished writing a few details down and smiled.

"That should be all I need, I can have your prosthetic ordered this afternoon." He told her.

"Your prosthetic?" Phillipe asked. Margaret smiled as she nodded.

"Doctor Khapal here is really happy with the way the incisions have healed." Margaret told Phillipe. "She thinks I should be running marathons in no time."

"Well, I didn't say that exactly." Dr Khapal responded, looking between them both. "But I certainly think that it's healed enough that you should be able to start wearing a prosthetic, just to start getting used to it."

"That's wonderful news." Phillipe responded, kissing her cheek softly as he came to her side. "Are you sure...?"

"There isn't really going to be a great time for me to learn how to walk again." Margaret cut him off, knowing where Phillipe's thoughts were going. She knew he was only concerned for her well-being, and she loved him for it. That said, she was eager to get back on her feet, even if one of them strictly speaking was no longer real. "The chemo might be playing merry hell with my system right now, but I really want to get out of this room."

"You want to go out?" Phillipe asked her. He looked to the doctor; a little concerned that Margaret was maybe taking things a little too quickly. Dr Khapal just shrugged.

"As long as you don't go too far and you continue to take care of yourself, a little fresh air is always a good thing." She assured Margaret with a smile. "Besides, as lovely as this room is, I'm sure looking at the same four walls for days on end would drive anyone stir-crazy."

"Amen to that." Margaret agreed.

"I'm sure your employer would be only too happy to arrange a wheelchair for the time being..."

"I already have." Phillipe assured her, taking Margaret's hand gently. "And I'd like to think I'm a little more than her employer."

"Yep, apparently for the time-being you're my chauffeur." She teased him. "Besides, it's been too long since I've seen the others."

"Then I guess a trip to the museum is in order." He agreed. "Thank you for your time doctor."

Meanwhile, things were busy around the museum. Kendall had a new exhibit scheduled to be set up, but with Shelby was at the University that day, Koda taking a day off to recover after his match and Riley was assigned to painting over some graffiti out in the loading area, she was already down three staff members before she did anything else. It meant that right now she had quite a bit on her plate.

"I've already given you the details." Kendall said into her cell phone in an impatient manner as she dealt with the man on the other end. "The addressee is K Morgan...no, not J, K! Hold on a second...Chase, what are you doing?"

"You said to put the broadsword here..."

"No, I told you to put the broadsword in the exhibit next door. The Zweihander is meant to go in here!" She told him. He just looked to the sword.

"What's the difference?" He asked her.

"Only about 200 years!" She replied. "You may as well give this guy a Winchester."

"What guy?" Chase asked, looking to the empty plinth. Kendall just looked to her phone.

"The one I'm currently chasing. Sorry about that, have you found...? NO, I am NOT looking for an electric golf cart; I'm looking for an Emperor's suit of Honour!" She corrected the man on the other end. She just put her hand on her forehead as she felt her head beginning to throb with all the frustrations of this exhibit. "K Morgan, that's Kilo, Mike, Oscar...its phonetic alphabet! Listen to what I'm saying and use the first letter...because apparently you can't tell the difference between K and J! Alright, Kilo, Mike, Oscar..."

As she walked away, Tyler came into the exhibit, carrying a massive sword, which was almost larger than he was. He saw Chase standing with the broadsword.

"Hey, what are you doing with that in here?" He asked. "That's meant to go next door."

"So...that's the Zweihander?" Chase asked him. Tyler just nodded.

"Yeah, isn't it awesome?" Tyler asked, gripping it by the handle and holding it up. It had incredible weight, which was why it was so deadly. Even in the hands of a relatively unskilled opponent if it hit, whatever it hit would be obliterated. It needed immense strength to wield, but with the power of an Energem behind him, Tyler didn't have too much trouble. "Do you think Ms Morgan can make one of these up for my Ranger mode?"

"Don't you think you have ENOUGH upgrades?" Chase asked him, heading out as Tyler played with the huge sword for a moment. "Personally I think this Emperor was just compensating for something."

"Whatever, I just wonder if Ivan ever used one of these things." Tyler replied, putting the sword up on the display. "I guess I'll ask him when he gets in."

Meanwhile, out the back, Ivan strolled casually into the loading area ahead of his shift. As he got there, he found a delivery company dropping off a large crate. This wasn't especially unusual, but with so many of the team occupied, he presumed that was why no one was out back to meet the delivery. Seeing them set the crate upright, it looked about man-height, and there were arrows indicating which way up it was meant to be stored. As they set the crate down, steadying it on the concrete, one of the delivery men looked to Ivan.

"Say, do you work here?" He asked. Ivan just gestured to himself for confirmation. As he was about to get his identification out, the driver was already pulling up the delivery schedule. "Great, I'm glad to be getting rid of this thing. The office has been messaging me all morning. I swear, you get a little turned around and arrive a little late and everyone freaks out."

"The delivery schedule here says this was meant to arrive..."

"Whatever man, are you going to sign for this or what?" The delivery man asked. Ivan could tell this man was more interested in just offloading this delivery than verifying it had gone where it was meant to go. Fortunately, he could see that the delivery note marked it as being for Kendall.

"Ah, this must be the training dummy Ms Morgan ordered for me." Ivan concluded, before pulling out a quill. "Now, where do I sign?"

"Here genius." The delivery guy said, gesturing to the touchscreen on his handset. "Welcome to the 21st century."

Ivan had seen these before and just drew his finger across it, making a scribble that looked somewhat vaguely like a signature by the time the handset interpreted it. The man gave Ivan the slip that printed out.

"Aren't you going to take it inside?" Ivan asked, pointing to the crate as he headed back to his truck. The driver just shrugged.

"I take things from A to B, how they get to C is none of my business." He answered sarcastically, before driving off. Ivan just snorted indignantly.

"Their customer service leaves more than a little to be desired." Ivan said snidely as he looked around, finding a trolley. He shoved it into place, before tipping it back, lifting the crate and allowing him to move it.

"Come my new friend." Ivan said, patting the crate. "If we hurry, I should have some time before my shift to introduce you to my sword."

With that, he wheeled it inside, past Kendall, who was holding her phone between her shoulder and her ear as she walked with Allison, who had a clipboard with an order form for stock.

"There, if you send that out today we should have the burgers by tomorrow." Kendall told Allison, before hearing something on her phone. "NO I don't want you to deliver burgers! I just want the delivery I asked for...your driver is in the area? Well...I'm standing in the loading bay right now and I don't see a truck anywhere!"

Kendall listened to yet more half-hearted stalling on the other end. When she saw a limousine rolling in, with the crest of the House of Zandar, she decided she had had enough of this conversation.

"OK, I've wasted enough of my minutes on this call. You have the delivery number, you have my name, and you have my phone number. When you finally figure out where in the hell that driver is, you can call me back." She said as she hung up. She came over to the limousine as Phillipe set up a wheelchair and positioned himself to help Margaret out. "Margaret, this is a surprise, it's great to see you!"

"Dr Khapal said that it was for the best I get some fresh air." Margaret told her. "I figured it's been a while since I was around you guys and thought I was overdue for a visit."

"Well, given the way things are going here today it's a welcome distraction." Kendall assured her. "That wig is fantastic! Did you use the place I recommended?"

Margaret just nodded in response. Kendall had been only too quick to support her through her treatment. As a cancer survivor, Kendall knew all too well the difficult path ahead for her.

"You were right; they were brilliant with their selection." Margaret told her. "My appetite isn't up to much, but do you think I could..."

"As if you need to ask." Kendall answered, showing her inside. "Lunch is on us. I'll..."

She was interrupted as she got a call. She saw the number and rolled her eyes.

"I really need to take this." Kendall told them. "Mr Smith's PA seems to think my personal number is her 24/7 direct line. Hello? No, no we still haven't received the suit yet. Yes, of course we'll contact you the instant it's in a display case safely under lock and key. Yes, we would appreciate you chasing up the delivery from your end too. Thank you for your call."

Kendall hung up the phone and put it away.

"Now, where were we?" Kendall asked. "Of course, you were going to tell me how Phillipe has been as a nurse."

Down in the Dino Lab, Ivan found a crowbar and started to get to work opening the crate. He was impressed by how quickly the delivery had come, and with some time to kill, he was eager to get to try it out before his shift.

Breaking open the crate, packing spilled out onto the floor. Ivan had to dig some of it out, before he could remove it from the crate, setting it down on the floor. He looked the dummy up and down.

It was not in the slightest what he was expecting. For starters, the dummy appeared to be wearing some form of clothing. He couldn't really figure out what it was supposed to be, or what the purpose of the clothing was. It was a deep red, with patterning stitched into it...perhaps marking striking points? He saw some designs that roughly covered the area the lungs would be positioned, still, it was a bizarre thing compared to the plain mannequin he had been using up until now.

He ran his fingers across the material, which felt a little rough to the touch. He wrinkled his nose a little as he observed the hideous style of it. He just shrugged his shoulders, reasoning that after he had essentially wrecked the old one, perhaps Kendall had opted to buy the cheapest one available.

"What a truly shabby looking thing." Ivan commented, before picking up his Ptera Sabre. He adopted a stance, levelling his sword at it. "Fortunately my blade is not a discerning fellow! En Garde!"

Up in the restaurant, Kendall and Margaret were catching up with everything that was happening. Phillipe for the most part was happy just to let them talk, but he was delighted to see her spirits pick up being around her friends again. Everyone had stopped by to ask how she was. Margaret had been a little out of the loop, and so was curious to hear what they were up to.

"So Koda's going to be wrestling for a championship?" Margaret asked. Kendall just nodded as she took a sip of her coffee.

"He's really excited for it. It's a big moment for him." Kendall told them. "He's really worked hard for this. Alessandra and Jack are thrilled for him."

"I'll bet." Phillipe answered. "What about that new exhibit? How is that shaping up?"

"With the exception of the centrepiece going missing great." Kendall told them. "I swear, if I never hear about that bloody suit again it'll be too soon."

Just then, her cell phone rang. She took it out, checking the caller ID, breathing a sigh of relief when it wasn't from Mr Smith's office.

"Hello?" Kendall answered as she picked up the call. There was an all-too-familiar voice on the other end. "Thank God you called. I presume you've found...I'm sorry, what did you say? It's already been delivered? I'm sorry, that just isn't possible. I've been here all day, I'd have heard if it had come..."

"Kendall." Koda said as he ran over to the table. He saw Phillipe and Margaret there. "Hello Phillipe, Margaret, you feeling well?"

"I'm doing pretty well right now." Margaret told him. "I heard you're doing well too."

"Yes, I have big match! Very exciting...!"

"Koda!" Kendall said to him. "You were saying something?"

"There delivery at back, we get big crate!" Koda told Kendall. She just breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank God for that!" Kendall remarked. She went back to her phone call. "One of my employees just told me a delivery arrived, that's probably it. Thank you for your time."

As she hung up, she got up from the table.

"I'm sorry; I really have to deal with this." Kendall stated. "I'll be back as soon as we've got this sorted."

"Take all the time you need. It's not like I'm running off anywhere." Margaret told them. Kendall followed Koda out to the back, where the crate was sitting unattended. Kendall just looked to him.

"Koda, you can't leave this thing unattended for any reason!" Kendall told him. "Do you know how valuable this is?"

Koda just shrugged. He was getting better, but he still didn't really know much about the value of money. Kendall just took a deep breath.

"Let me put it this way, if anything happened to this, you'd probably be working for ANOTHER 100,000 years to pay for it." She told him. She checked the manifest on the crate, but furrowed her brows.

"This is the wrong delivery number." She could see the way Koda was looking at her. "I've repeated it about fifteen times today. It's burned into my brain. Open this up will you?"

Koda got a crowbar and pried the crate open. Kendall just let out a frustrated growl as she saw that it was just a plain mannequin.

"Damn it all, this is just Ivan's practice dummy." Kendall said as she gestured to Koda to bring it with her. She got back onto the phone, calling the delivery firm.

Back in the Dino Lab, Ivan was working hard, bringing his sword down again and again into his stationary opponent. He didn't notice as Kendall and Koda walked in.

"I'm sorry, but you have to be mistaken. We've only received one delivery all day." Kendall told the increasingly impatient agent on the other end. "What do you mean it's already been signed for? Who by? Oh, isn't that convenient, you can't read the signature! Ivan, your new practice dummy has arrived."

"Yes, I know I'm already using it." Ivan told her. Kendall just paused as she heard him say this. Koda was carrying the new practice dummy. How could Ivan already be using it?

"Ivan, what do you mean...?" Her voice trailed off, and her eyes opened wide in horror as she saw the mannequin standing before Ivan. Her face fell and her blood ran cold as she saw the ragged, shredded garment hanging on Ivan's 'practice dummy' as he hacked into it. "...Oh no, no, no, no, NO!"

Ivan was a little put out as Kendall shoved him aside, inspecting the damage. She hoped beyond hope that she was wrong, but as pieces of cloth came off in her hand, her mind entered a complete void, not knowing what to say or do.

"Ms Morgan, what did you do that for?" Ivan asked her. Kendall just turned to look at him slowly.

"Ivan, that's your practice dummy over there." She told him in a voice that was so weak it barely escaped her body. Ivan looked to it and nodded.

"Ah, splendid." He responded, before gesturing to the dummy he had been working on. "So what's this piece of junk?"

Kendall composed herself to finally be able to say it.

"Ivan, this is an Emperor's suit of honour. It's over a thousand years old; it's even older than you." She told him. He just smirked.

"But it's not nearly as well built." He quipped as he put his sword over his shoulder. Kendall could already see the coming storm.

"Ivan, that suit was an exhibit! It was worth a LOT of money!" Kendall said to him. Ivan just looked to the dummy, and then back to her.

"Not anymore." He replied. Kendall couldn't even bring herself to yell or scream or even form any form of cohesive statement as to what had just happened. All she could think about was that one of the wealthiest men in the city had lent them a family heirloom, which had survived for a thousand years through disasters and wars...and now it had been reduced to rags. Anton had left the museum in her hands. Anything that happened there reflected on him. She had no idea how to begin to approach this disaster.

"I'm going to have to call the owner." She said with a gulp as she dialled. "This is NOT going to be good."

As she walked away, Ivan just looked back to the suit, and shrugged.

"How valuable could it have been really?" He asked. "It was worthless against my blade."


	7. Suit Of Honour

Chase and Tyler were in the restaurant, helping Allison with the lunch rush. Things were starting to get busy, with people piling into the restaurant like it was going out of style. It was a welcome boost in business, even if no one really knew why all of a sudden everyone was out around here at this time on a weekday. Chase had just finished serving a customer when he saw someone standing before him looking somewhat less than happy.

"Good afternoon sir, how may I help you?" Chase asked him.

"This has to be some kind of joke right?" He asked him, putting down a tray.

"Is something wrong with the food?" Chase asked him. He started to look for the food, wondering if some mistake had been made with the order. However, when he looked through it, he found nothing but empty wrappers and cups. The cups had been completely drained, even the ice was gone, and by the looks of the wrappers, they had been pretty much licked clean, leaving barely any trace at all of any sauce or even a single crumb.

"I'll say there is? What the hell do you call this?" The man asked, slapping down his bill. Chase just looked at it in confusion, before looking up to the irate customer.

"Well, in the industry, that is what is known in technical terms as the check." Chase tried to explain, not understanding what the man's issue was. "It tells you how much you owe us for the food."

"Are you trying to get smart with me kid?" He snapped angrily. Allison stepped in, seeing the situation start to get a little heated. She knew Chase didn't mean to get under people's skin, but he could on occasion do so without really trying.

"Hi, I'm the supervisor here; can I help you at all?" She asked him.

"The gentleman has an issue with his check." Chase told her. The man presented the check to her, at which Allison checked through the wrappers.

"Bronto Burger, Pteradactyl Tuna Melt, Mammoth Meatballs, three extra large fries, three extra large soda...yes, this all seems correct." Allison said, as she verified what had been on the tray before the man and his family had picked it clean.

"Everything was there; I'm talking about the PRICE!" He snarled as he prodded a finger into the check. "Six dollars for a BURGER? Two dollars for a DRINK? Are you serious? It'd be more honest if you wore a mask and pulled a gun on me!"

"Sir, I'm really not meaning to be disrespectful, but our prices are regularly matched against other similar establishments in the area. We're really not charging an unreasonable rate, and our prices are very clearly marked on the boards." Allison told him as she pointed up at the boards. "Now, you did order it, and you did eat it...so..."

"What if I didn't like it?" He asked her. Allison just rolled her eyes and picked up one of the wrappers.

"Then you definitely made sure you didn't like it didn't you?" She asked him, showing him the virtually clean wrapping. She picked up a cup and turned it upside down. "There isn't even any ice left! You managed to drink all the ICE!"

"Fine then, I'll pay!" He said grumpily, like Allison had asked him to do something unreasonable by actually paying for the food he ate. He started looking out coins, at which Allison just rolled her eyes. There was nothing more irritating than a customer looking to offload all their loose change by paying their bill in quarters and nickels.

"I'm going to get some more buns." Allison told her boyfriend. "Take care of the gentleman."

"Sorry, I just don't really like giving away my money." The customer said as he started to drop coins onto the counter. Chase didn't recognise them, but they clearly weren't US currency. They weren't ANY kind of currency he could name...though the simple, plain golden coins did look somewhat familiar. He just couldn't place his finger on it.

"I'm sorry, you can't pay with those." Chase told him. "We only accept..."

"Of course I can pay with those, they're solid gold!" The man insisted, looking to the four coins he had laid down, before snatching two of them back up. "Which reminds me...that should be enough."

"Where did you get these?" Tyler asked, coming in from the back, where he had been manning the grill. He picked up one of the coins, at which he felt a strange tingle running up his arm.

"There's some guy on the corner outside just giving them away like candy!" He laughed. "Damned fool if you ask me, if I had a whole sack of gold like this, I'd never give it away!"

"Sir, you really can't...SIR!" Chase called after him, picking up the other coin and starting to go after him. He suddenly stopped. His mind suddenly lost all other thoughts as he felt something rushing through him. He found himself looking to the coin, the precious, shiny coin. He could hardly think of anything else.

"Someone was giving these things out..." Chase started to say, before there was a blur. Tyler had leapt over the counter and was running out of the door. He had heard the same thing Chase had, someone was just giving these away...and Tyler was going to get there first! Ripping off his apron, Chase ran off in hot pursuit, almost knocking over Erin and Shelby as he left.

"Whoa, OK, excuse me." Erin said as she arrived at the museum with Shelby, hoping to get some lunch. Although Shelby was loving every minute of her new university courses, Kendall hadn't been kidding when she had said it would be challenging to catch up to the rest of the class. She brought her folder in, hoping to get some advice on her latest assignment while they got lunch.

"I'll just be a moment; can you get us a table?" Shelby asked Erin.

"Sure thing Shelbster." Erin answered as she headed for the table. Although all the tables were full, there was one with only one person sitting at it. Ivan seemed to be sitting by himself, looking a little put out. Erin decided that he probably wouldn't mind some company and headed over.

"Hey there, feel like some company?" She asked him. Ivan just gestured to the seat across from him.

"I'd be grateful for the company." He told her truthfully. "Everyone else is working."

"Really?" She asked him. "Why aren't you working?"

"Ms Morgan said something about me having done enough damage for one day." Ivan responded.

"Oh, it sounds like there's a story there." Erin said with a smile. "You know how I like a good story."

Meanwhile, in her office, Kendall was on the phone when Shelby arrived. She gestured to Shelby to be quiet for a moment while she finished up her call. From the look on Kendall's face, it seemed like it wasn't exactly a friendly call.

"Yes, I know Anton...Believe me, I didn't know the delivery had come...yes, I am well aware of how much it was worth...no I DIDN'T know that Mr Smith was a friend of the mayor...Anton please, I've already called Mr Smith, he's on his way here to discuss the damage...yes, I'll call you as soon as I've met with him...I understand...I'm sorry."

As she set down the phone, taking off her glasses and rubbing her eyes, Shelby waited a moment before feeling like she had to remind her she was there.

"Ms Morgan...what's happening?" Shelby asked her.

"I was on the phone to Anton." Kendall told her. Shelby just nodded.

"Yeah, I got that part, but you normally aren't this upset when you call Anton." Shelby responded. Anton was a mentor to Kendall, having taken her under his wing for most of her career. He was very fond of her, and the feeling was very mutual.

"Well normally I'm not calling to tell him that one of my employees has destroyed an exhibit worth over $2,000,000!" Kendall told her in an exasperated tone. Shelby felt her knees weaken and needed to sit down.

"What?" She asked her. "What was damaged? Was it one from one of our digs?"

"No, that wouldn't be such an issue. Sure he'd be unhappy, but at least then we'd only have damaged something that we own." Kendall told her. "No, Ivan has to go and treat a donated artefact like GMa Betty's cat used to treat my mother's drapes."

"O...Kay...so...not good?" Shelby asked in response. Kendall shook her head.

"No, that is almost certainly going to be a lawsuit, one that I know I don't have anything like the means to cover, and with it being Anton's museum..."

"Ultimately it's his pocket they'll be looking to dip." Shelby said with a little whistle. "So I'm guessing there's not going to be any Easter eggs this year."

"I'm wondering if we'll even have jobs by the end of the week." Kendall told her honestly. Just then, her phone rang again. She picked it up. "What is it now?"

"Ms Morgan, there's some guy named Smith here to see you." Riley told her. "He doesn't look too friendly either."

"I am going to seriously need an aspirin...thank you Riley." Kendall replied. "Ask Koda to bring the suit up."

As she hung up and started banging her head on the desk, Shelby put her books away. She had a feeling that right now, her difficulties with her coursework were pretty minor in the grand scheme of things.

"Would you like some moral support?" Shelby asked.

"I'm not sure..."

"Ms Morgan, I'm basically an apprentice here. If cutbacks are going to be made, along with you, I'm probably going to be one of the first to go." Shelby reminded her.

"I appreciate it, but this is my problem. I'm the director, when all is said and done; anything that happens here is my responsibility." She said as she stood up and straightened out her suit and her glasses as much as she could. "Though if you have a blindfold and a cigarette...now would probably be the time."

With that, Kendall went out to face Mr Smith, and, most likely, the end of her career.

A few streets from the restaurant, Chase and Tyler were racing to find the mysterious man handing out the gold coins. It turned out, he wasn't especially hard to find. They passed by a number of people running in the opposite direction carrying as much as they could. One man ran past with his arms loaded, coins spilling onto the pavement as he ran. Another woman was running home, her baby in her arms as she had opted to use her pram to carry her gold so she could carry more. They even passed a man running away with a wheelbarrow piled up with coins, meaning he'd obviously left and come back with a wheelbarrow for the purpose!

They managed to get to the street, where they found a new monster, one that had familiar elements, but seemed to be completely new. Next to him was Heckyl, who was throwing out coins left and right, raining down gold like the world's largest wedding scramble!*

"Come one, come all! There's plenty for everyone! No need to push, there's more where that came from!" Heckyl called out to them as he reached into the bag, pulling out massive fistfuls of coins, sprinkling them over the waiting crowd. "Tell your friends, tell everyone! Free money! Money, money, precious money! Send your kids to college...hell, buy someone else's kids and send THEM to college! You want that sports' car? Go ahead and treat yourself! Is the mortgage broker hassling you? Why not BUY THE BANK and fire him? Whatever your hearts' desire, take this money and make your wildest dreams come true!"

"Heckyl?" Tyler asked. "He's giving out the money?"

Heckyl was tossing out some of the coins when he noticed a couple of people skulking about a little way off, hiding just behind a pillar. He had been sure that if he made enough of a spectacle of himself that he would see the Rangers sooner or later. Given the fact they weren't morphed and he could only see two of them, he presumed they were only there to observe, to see what he was up to. He lifted up an empty canvas bag and started waving it in the air to make a show of it.

"It looks like I've almost run out!" He told the crowd, only to hear some disappointed tones. "Now now, no need to worry, there's plenty more where that came from, we're going now to go get more. But don't you worry, we will be back!"

"But I can just make more coins here." Spelldigger whispered to Heckyl. He handed the bag to Spelldigger, pulling him in closely so that others wouldn't hear them speaking.

"Behind the pillar, over to the right." Heckyl told him. "Don't make it obvious...you see them?"

"Yes Master Heckyl." He answered obediently.

"Take this bag where we discussed." Heckyl told him. "The others will be waiting."

"Whatever you say." Spelldigger answered, beginning to head off. Heckyl grabbed another bag.

"While we're waiting, I have another bag!" He declared to the crowd, continuing to spread his coins. Chase was about to move in, but Tyler stopped him.

"Chase, wait. Heckyl said that one was going to a treasure trove." Tyler reminded him. "If we follow him..."

"We can have all the gold we want!" Chase shrieked in excitement as he thought about it. "Tyler my man, you are a genius!"

"What else is new?" Tyler asked they started to make their way after Spelldigger, unaware that their sudden, insatiable lust for gold was all part of Heckyl's plan.

Back in the restaurant, Ivan had just finished relaying his story to Erin. She sat, wide-eyed as she heard how he had just sliced apart a valuable exhibit for the museum.

"Wow!" She responded. "You mean you cut up a 1000 year old suit with a broadsword?"

"I thought it was my training dummy!" He said with a little smile. "I think Ms Morgan is completely over-reacting to all this."

"Speaking of, it looks like something is going down over there." Erin said, pointing out Kendall making her way into the entrance lobby, where a man was waiting for her. He was a broad man, quite portly, but wearing a dated though expensive suit and hat. He was holding a cane with a gold handle, and he had a woman next to him who was carrying a ledger of some description. She had short, dark hair and a black suit. "What do you think...Ivan, where are you going?"

"I'm going to help straighten this out." Ivan told her.

"Oh...this isn't going to end well." Erin muttered, shaking her head.

Kendall approached Mr Smith, seeing him standing, waiting for her. She had already explained that the suit he had donated had been damaged, but before she could explain any further or go over how damaged it was, he had insisted on coming over to speak to her personally. He was clearly enraged, so angered he had taken the call himself once his assistant told him about the incident.

"Mr Smith, thank you so much for coming out at such short notice." Kendall greeted him, extending a hand for a handshake, which he flatly refused. "Would you like to come with me through to...?"

"I'm a busy man, just bring me my property." He interrupted her abruptly. Kendall just breathed a sigh, before taking out her phone. She could pretty much guess what was going to happen, and was hoping at least to be able to avoid a scene in public.

"Koda, bring it out front." Kendall told him. A few moments later, Koda brought out the mannequin, which was still dressed in what was left of the suit. Kendall could already see Mr Smith's face starting to turn red seeing his valued property turned into rags that wouldn't be fit for dusting. She was a little worried, thinking it would be just the cap on her horrendous day if the man had a heart attack!

"This...this is my suit?" He asked her.

"I know it looks bad..."

"BAD? Would you describe the Great Fire of London as BAD?" He yelled at her. Kendall just gulped.

"There was an incident..."

"Did it occur before or after you accepted delivery?" He asked her. "I only want to know who I'm going to sue into the poorhouse."

"After." Kendall sighed weakly. There was no point denying it, Ivan had signed for the delivery. As much as it would take the heat off her if the delivery firm had caused the damage, Ivan had signed for the delivery. By signing, he had accepted the delivery and the condition it was in. Anything that happened to the suit after that was the responsibility of the museum...and ultimately Kendall!

Mr Smith started to inspect the suit, seeing the shredded material, some of which came off in his fingers.

"This suit of honour was worn by an emperor! It's over a thousand years old!" He informed Kendall. She just nodded. She knew how old it was, and thanks to the appraisal, she knew how much it was worth. Ivan arrived, completely unnoticed by Kendall. He interjected.

"Ah yes, that explains the shoddy workmanship." Ivan said, gesturing to it. Kendall looked to him alarmed, hardly able to believe her ears. She nudged Ivan, trying to get him to stop talking before he could make things any worse. Mr Smith looked like steam was going to start coming out of his ears at any moment!

"It's worth over $2,000,000!" He insisted. Ivan looked to it, and then back to the man.

"Are you certain of that?" He asked. "Let me tell you sir, speaking as a knight, this thing would not have been worth two shillings on a battlefield!"

"Ivan..."

"Any blade, even the dullest, cheapest blade would have made a mockery of this..."

"Ivan..."

"There's no protection whatsoever! Your ancestor would have fallen to the first blow that came his way! Frankly, he'd have been as well running around in his birthday suit...probably better off, because then he wouldn't have had to look like..."

"IVAN!" Kendall barked, catching his attention. Mr Smith approached Ivan, prodding him in the chest with his walking stick.

"It is worth MONEY you idiot! MONEY is what it is worth, MONEY is what I want, and MONEY is what you owe me!" He told Ivan coldly. The Gold Ranger looked down to the walking stick that was still pressed into his chest and swept it off with his hand, before looking to Mr Smith.

"Very well then." He responded, tiring of the man's rudeness. "Just give it to him Ms Morgan."

This almost floored Kendall. She knew that there were some things Ivan didn't quite get about the modern era, most notably that his rank as a knight didn't really come with the privileges it once did. Back in his day, he was rarely expected to pay for anything on his travels in Zandar, and if someone did take issue with his actions, as a Knight of the Royal Household, their issue was with the Prince, and they would have to take it up with him if they dared!

"Ivan, the museum doesn't have millions of dollars just lying around!" Kendall screamed at him. Mr Smith just glared at her.

"Now that would be your problem. Or Anton Mercer's, I really don't care who pays me." Mr Smith told her, clicking his fingers at which his assistant presented Ms Morgan with an envelope. "That's from my attorney. You have one week to compensate me for the loss, otherwise I will take it from the assets...namely the property."

"The...the property?" Ivan asked, suddenly feeling a chill running down his spine. The museum wasn't just a museum, it wasn't just where they all worked...it was also the site of the Dino Lab! Their base of operations was right underneath their very feet! "You would take the museum in lieu of payment?"

"Most of the vacant land in this city has been protected by archaeological survey. Do you have any idea what real-estate is worth in this city?" He asked them. "Get me my money or get out!"

With that, he and his assistant both turned and walked away. Ivan turned and looked to Kendall.

"Ms Morgan, I..."

"Ivan, can you please just...not say anything?" Kendall asked him, seeing her career slipping through her fingers with every passing moment. After something like this, she would be lucky if she got another job in a museum as a janitor! Just then, Allison ran out to join them.

"Ms Morgan, have you seen Chase and Tyler?" She asked her. "They just disappeared."

"Good grief, can anything else...no, I shouldn't say it...that's just tempting fate by this point." Kendall grumbled as she looked to Allison. "Shelby's in the office, ask her if she can help cover. Ivan, I need you to find Chase and Tyler. Do you think you can do that?"

"Of course Ms Morgan, have I ever let you down?" He asked. Kendall just took a glance towards the suit, which finally gave up the ghost and fell apart, falling completely off the mannequin. Ivan just nodded. "Yes, well...perhaps just the once."

As he left, Kendall just looked to the suit, picked it up and headed for her office, wondering if there were any entry level positions available for a 26-year-old failed museum director.


	8. Gold Rush

Ivan made his way through the streets of Amber Beach, looking for his friends. It wasn't like Chase and Tyler to just disappear in the middle of the day when they were on shift at the museum. If they had been needed as Rangers, then an alarm would have alerted the whole team. He couldn't imagine what had inspired them to leave the museum in its time of need.

Of course, now the museum was in need more than ever, and what was worse was that it was his fault. He did think it was odd that his new practice dummy had come with clothing, especially clothing that was damaged so easily by his sword. He had gone over all the excuses in his head, but as he went over them again and again, they all sounded so lame and pathetic. He didn't know it wasn't his dummy? Surely he could have just asked before he started hacking it to pieces. The delivery wasn't marked as valuable? Strictly speaking it wasn't addressed to him either! The addressee marked on the crate was Kendall. The more he tried to justify in his mind that it wasn't his fault, the more he found himself thinking that the situation could so easily have been avoided.

The situation was made all the worse by the fact that now Mr Smith was out of pocket and he fully intended to collect. He didn't care that it wasn't Kendall's actions that led to his suit being damaged, the fact that she was the museum director and the incident happened in the museum meant that as far as he was concerned, it was up to the museum to repay him for his losses.

He wasn't an idiot when it came to money, but he did find the scale of things baffling in this time. As a Knight of the Royal Household, he rarely had to pay for anything on his travels anyway, and normally if he did, then a few coins would handle it. If he gave a peasant a gold coin to pay for lodgings, then that peasant and his family would likely be fed and clothed for months! He was shocked the first time he heard the others talking casually about spending hundreds of dollars on basics like food! To even imagine what two MILLION dollars would look like...he knew he had messed up badly, and now that he had time to think about it, now that he could try to figure out how long it would take him to work off the debt on his own minimum wage salary...he knew how badly his actions had affected the others.

It wasn't just the museum, although imagining seeing it being closed down, seeing all those exhibits being shipped off to other facilities and the locals having their main museum shut down was a ghastly though on its own. Knowing that the Dino Lab was right underneath the museum was another. How would they access it? If Mr Smith did want to rebuild on it as he had said, he was bound to find it. Would they have to re-locate everything? If so, where would the re-locate TO? Koda actually lived in those caves, what would he do? All of these problems, and they had all come about because he had been too impatient to wait on being given his new practice dummy.

A little way outside of the city, he found Tyler and Chase running around, gleefully picking something up off the ground. He smiled as he saw them, at least that was ONE problem he could solve today.

"Tyler! Chase!" He called out, but they either didn't hear him, or were so busy collecting whatever it was they were collecting that they ignored him. Ivan was about to run after him when Fury landed directly in his path.

"So, we meet again Gold Ranger!" He growled. Fury had been sent to spring the ambush on the unsuspecting Red and Black Rangers. Heckyl had contacted him to assure him that they were alone and they were heading his way, following Spelldigger and his trail of enchanted gold, but as soon as he saw the Gold Ranger, he could only think of all the power he had given him for all those years, how he had sustained him and given him amazing power during all those years on Earth. He had taken to absorbing the humanity of others to sustain him without Sledge's stasis technology, but little did he know at the time when he claimed Ivan, that already being bonded to the Gold Energem gave him all the power he'd ever need.

His recent injuries at James' hands and his long recovery had confirmed what he knew, how much power he had lost being separated from Ivan. Now, he could feel the effects of time's everlasting march on his systems catching up with him the longer he spent outside the ship. He glared at the Gold Ranger, feeling a mix of his anger at what he had lost being separated from him, and also knowing that if he could once again regain that power, then he would once again be powerful enough to regain the respect that he once had as Sledge's partner.

"I'll deal with your thick-headed friends later!" Fury growled, levelling his sword his way. "You and I have an old score to settle!"

"You should see what happened to the last dummy that got in my way." Ivan responded as he activated his morpher, running towards Fury.

Back at the museum, Phillipe and Margaret were having lunch, Margaret enjoying being out of the Embassy for a little while. They both looked up as Kendall came into their booth, dropping a bunch of rags on the table, before flopping face-down into them.

"Bad day?" Margaret asked her ironically. Kendall just nodded solemnly.

"Whatever is the matter?" Phillipe asked her. She just gestured to the clothing in front of her.

"Do any of you want to know what a $2,000,000 suit of honour looks like when someone takes a broadsword to it?" She asked them. Margaret just stared at them wide-eyed.

"That's...that's the exhibit you were waiting on?" She asked in shock.

"Which Ivan mistook for his new practice dummy and decided to introduce to the business end of his sword." Kendall said in a dejected way. "The owner of course is looking to sue us into bankruptcy, Anton is FAR from happy with me. Uh, I don't honestly know if this can get any worse."

"Well...at least you have your health?" Margaret offered weakly. Kendall just settled back into her seat. Phillipe picked up the remains of the suit of honour and inspected them.

"Do you need dusters? That's about all they're good for now." Kendall said, noticing the way he was looking at them.

"It's probably nothing." Phillipe told her. "Do you mind if I take these?"

"They're no use to anyone else now." Kendall said, waving it off.

"Margaret, I just remembered I have something to do at the Embassy." He told her. "Do you want to stay here or should I take you home?"

"I guess I am getting a little tired." She told him. With that, he handed her the remains of the suit and took position behind the chair, wheeling her away from the table.

"Thank you for lunch. I hope this all works out." Phillipe told her as he took Margaret from the restaurant. Allison came over to the table.

"Coffee?" She asked.

"Irish if you can." Kendall muttered.

"We don't have a drink's licence." Allison reminded her.

"Just my luck." Kendall responded. "Just the coffee than."

Tyler and Chase were running around, picking up coins off the ground, giggling with glee seeing the unbelievable wealth that was just lying around waiting for them. Tyler had a huge grin on his face, practically salivating at the thought of everything he could do with the cash in his hands now. Just a few of these coins would be more than he'd ever need in his lifetime.

He was about to snatch up more when he heard a small roar. He looked up in time to see "little Rexy" as he had come to know his shrunken-down T-Rex Zord barrelling towards him. It ran into him, jumping into his chest and almost knocking him over.

"What is it Rexy?" He asked as it just growled at him, before it hopped out of his arms and ran off. Chase was over by his side quickly.

"What was that about?" Chase asked. "Did you call him to help carry all this?"

"No, he just came on his own. I think he wants us to follow him." Tyler told Chase. His eyes opened wide as a thought came to him. "Maybe he's found the treasure!"

With that, they both ran off in pursuit of the little Zord. They found it hard to keep up, wherever it was going it was going very quickly. By the time they caught up to it, they found Rexy attacking Fury, who was in the middle of a battle with Ivan. Fury was staggering around, screaming as he tried to get the little Zord off him. Chase helped Ivan up off the ground.

"Chase, Tyler, you've come to help me!" Ivan said as he straightened himself out, thankful for the assistance.

"Rexy found us, he must have wanted us to come and help you." Tyler told him. Rexy leapt back from Fury, returning to Tyler as Fury reached for a weapon.

"Time to try out Singe's Master Sword!" He roared, pulling out the weapon. He had 'borrowed' it from Singe, looking to add a little bit of firepower to his arsenal for the trap he was setting for the Rangers. Seeing this, Tyler took Rexy in his arms.

"If you're pulling out the big guns, then so can I!" Tyler replied, morphing into his T-Rex Supercharge mode. Fury cast a lightning field at Tyler, binding him inside, but even with the combined power of both his own sword and Singe's, Tyler was able to power through. With a huge yell, he cast off the restraining power, putting Fury off balance.

"Now you're the one in for a shock! T-Rex Supercharge Blast!" Tyler called out, firing his shot. Fury hit the ground hard, and he knew that another shot would likely be the end of him. Struggling back to his feet, and eager not to meet his end that day, he levelled Singe's sword Tyler's way.

"Curse you Rangers! We'll finish this later!" With that, he disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Ivan made his way forward, de-morphing.

"He was smart to retreat. Surely we would have vanquished him had he not turned tail." Ivan said as he smiled. "That was a great feat indeed Tyler. Tyler...?"

He turned around to find Tyler and Chase on their knees, picking coins out of the grass.

"I say, what on EARTH are you doing?" He asked. Tyler looked up to him.

"Collecting gold coins." He responded as though it was the most normal thing in the world to find a fortune in solid gold just lying around waiting to be collected. Ivan smiled as he saw this.

"Ah, you wish to repay my debt!" He said, drawing his own conclusion to the biazarre scene. However, Chase and Tyler both just looked to him.

"Debt? What debt?" Chase asked him.

"Yeah, these are ours!" Tyler told him, clutching his coins to his chest. Ivan was about to say something, but he stopped for a moment.

"No, you are right. It would be wrong of me to expect you to settle my debt." He answered. "The debt is mine and as a Knight of Zandar, I am duty bound to settle it, however I can."

"Settle it with what?" Chase asked him. "It's not like you have a bank account."

Ivan paused for a moment as he thought about this. Chase had been meaning to point out a flaw in Ivan's plan, the fact that he didn't actually have any money save for his pay checks from the museum which so far he had always just cashed, having not taken time to set up an account yet. However, just as he was thinking about that, a thought did occur to him...he DID have an account! After a fashion anyway!

When he was a knight, and often had to travel in his duties, like many nobles, he didn't carry his cash with him for fear of losing it to bandits. What he did instead was to deposit the cash he was paid by the crown with the church, specifically with the Knights Templar, and received promissory notes from the Vatican to the value of the money he had deposited! It was the world's earliest form of banking, a practice that extended until the Knights Templar were purged long after Ivan's day.*

He didn't have much, but before he took Prince Colin on his diplomatic mission, he had been paid a gold bar by the Royal Family to cover any expenses and to pay him for his duties. He had disappeared in his battle with Fury before he could reclaim it! Perhaps if the bank honoured that agreement...he would be able to claim it!

"Thank you Tyler, Chase, you have given me an idea!" Ivan told them. "Meet me back at the museum!"

Back at the museum, Shelby was helping Allison clean up after the lunch rush. With Chase and Tyler disappearing in the middle of it, they had left Allison short-handed, and so she had been called on to help out. Fortunately, she only had study hall after lunch, and so was able to help out. Allison held up a vegetable peeler and looked at it thoughtfully.

"How long do you think it'd take to skin my boyfriend alive with this?" She asked. Shelby just looked at her.

"It's not THAT bad surely." She asked her.

"He ran off and left in the middle of a busy lunch!" Allison reminded her. "If the alarm had gone off, then...sure, by all means, I've resigned myself to the fact that you guys kind of HAVE to save the world and all that, but just because he had one difficult customer?"

"He had one too?" Shelby asked.

"We ALL have difficult customers!" Allison grumbled. "This guy though was questioning everything on his bill! I mean, he ate everything on his tray! It's not like he was returning stuff he didn't like!"

"I...had a couple like that too." Shelby answered, thinking it was odd. It was something of a given in the service industry that occasionally people would return food that was perfectly fine, just because it wasn't QUITE to their liking.

In most instances that was fine, but a quick rule of thumb between a genuine complaint and someone just trying to get out of paying a bill was a 50% threshold. Simply put, most people who genuinely didn't like the food would only eat a small amount of it, certainly less than half, before they would return it. If, however, someone ate the majority of a meal before returning it, it was more likely the meal was fine and they just didn't want to pay for it! After all, who would eat an entire burger if they genuinely didn't like it?

"People have been bitching about their bills all day. 'How do you justify $5 for a coffee? It's just beans and hot water!' The prices are clearly marked, if they don't want to pay, no one is forcing them to order!"

"But this thing with Chase...it isn't just leaving the restaurant is it?" Shelby asked her. Allison just sighed and put the vegetable peeler down.

"He was gone for months, and then when he came back, we just...kind of picked up where we left off." Allison told her. "I was happy about that at the time, but I just can't help thinking, what about when all this is done for good? What when there's no Heckyl? No more Energems to find?"

"You haven't had a chance to talk to Chase about that?" Shelby asked her. Allison just snorted.

"In case you haven't noticed, Chase and I aren't exactly the deep and meaningful talk kind of people." She told Shelby.

"Well...maybe in this instance you need to be." Shelby suggested. "I mean, it's not really fair on either of you to keep this up if you don't know where it's headed."

"I guess...I guess in a lot of ways I'm scared of the answer." Allison told her honestly. "I mean, if it's a decision between New Zealand and me, then what if it's New Zealand?"

"Isn't that something you'll have to find out sooner or later anyway?" Shelby asked her. "I know you and Chase don't like to take things seriously, but maybe this is just one of those things you have to."

Before she could answer, Leanne came in, just finishing putting her uniform on.

"Whoa, I knew today would be busy, but what happened here?" Leanne asked her. "Is no one here to help while I'm at school?"

"Leanne, thank God you're here." Allison responded. "Look, I wouldn't normally ask, but we are REALLY backed up. Would you mind...you know...doing that thing you can do to make this all go away?"

"I really shouldn't, not when people are around..."

"I only need the dishes done, no one's coming back here." Allison assured her, pleading with her eyes. "Please, we are really..."

"OK, OK...just...it can make me a little hungry." Leanne warned her.

"The way I'm feeling, you can eat Chase and Tyler." Allison told her. With that, Leanne started to get to work on the dishes, her hands quickly becoming a blur of supernatural speed. "Thank God I hired a vampire."

Over at the Bank of Amber Beach, Ivan was waiting in line for a teller when he heard a familiar voice.

"Hey there Ivan, we just keep running into each other don't we?" Erin said as she came over to the Gold Ranger.

"Erin, what a delightful surprise." Ivan said as he saw her. "What are you doing here?"

"I just had to settle a few credit card bills." She replied as she pulled in closer. "I'm all for retail therapy, but paying for it is definitely a chore."

"Yes, paying for things IS something of a chore, something I'm finding out." Ivan sighed.

"Yeah, I heard about that suit you thrashed." Erin said sympathetically. "It's commendable you're wanting to pay what you can."

"If all goes well, hopefully I'll be able to cover the debt completely." Ivan told her. Erin just looked curious. Ivan didn't really strike her as the kind of guy with millions of dollars at his disposal. He went to the counter as he was called.

"Amber Beach Bank, how may I assist you?" The teller asked him.

"One bar of gold please." Ivan answered. Both the teller and Erin just stared at him.

"Excuse me?" She asked him. "You...you want a bar of gold?"

"Well, if you have it in coin I suppose a bag would do, but it was a bar that was deposited so that would be preferable." He said completely straight-faced. The teller just sighed and went to her computer.

"Let's start with the basics shall we? Do you have your account number?" She asked him. Ivan looked a little confused.

"I'm afraid...I don't know." He told her. "I don't believe I have an account with this branch."

"Then how exactly...?"

"A bar of gold was left in trust with the bank some time ago." Ivan told her. "I'm here to collect it."

"So, you want me to just hand over a bar of gold?" The teller asked him. He held up a hand.

"No, of course, I expect if you handed out gold to just anyone that asked you would have very little in the vault." Ivan told her, pulling a scroll out of his pocket. He had stopped by his apartment to pick up his promissory note before coming to the bank. "Here it is, one promissory note, signed and sealed."

The teller took it off him, looking at Ivan like he was insane, before unrolling it to read it. Ivan just waited for her to respond.

"Is there some problem?" He asked.

"This promissory note...it says it was signed in 1216!" She said in disbelief.

"Yes, by Pope Honorius III himself. That is the official Vatican seal." Ivan told her, pointing to the signature.

"That's...been in the family a while?" Erin asked Ivan. He just looked to her.

"Yes, you could say that." He answered, before turning back to the teller. "That is an official promissory note of the Vatican, it is covered and guaranteed as good as gold."

"Sir...I'm not sure I can...do you even have any ID?" She asked him. He just stared blankly at her.

"Something with your name on it?" Erin clarified. "You know, your driver's licence, your passport..."

"Oh, something with my name on it! Of course!" Ivan declared, before reaching inside his coat. He pulled out a sword causing everyone to start screaming. The teller just held up her hands as he levelled the blade towards her.

"Holy SHIT!" Erin called out, seeing Ivan with the sword. However, he wasn't attacking, he was actually just showing her the blade, which had his name etched onto it.

"See, there it is, right there." He told her. The teller just started stammering.

"O...Okay sir...take anything you want...just please don't hurt anyone." She said nervously.

"Hurt anyone?" He asked her.

"Ivan, you pulled out a sword in the middle of a bank!" Erin explained. "She thinks you're robbing the place!"

Just then, the teller took this distraction to hit a button and activate the alarm. Ivan immediately realised his error and sprinted out the bank as fast as he could. The teller took a deep breath as he left. Erin just approached the desk.

"Um...is this a bad time to ask if I can speak to someone about this credit card bill?" She asked.

 **A/N:** The passage marked with a * is true. One of the first forms of banking was overseen by the Knights Templar, who allowed travelling nobles to deposit their cash and valuables with them and reclaim goods and money of equal value at their destination. At the time, it was actually against the rules for anyone's account to gain interest though as this was forbidden by the Vatican. The only exception? The Pope expected to be given "gifts" that were relative to what he had deposited. As long as it wasn't called "interest"...I guess that's alright eh?


	9. Gold Fever

Down in the Dino Lab, the team were gathering together as many spare relics as they could. It was heartbreaking to have to open up exhibits and pull out the pieces, knowing that they were doing so in order to sell them off to the highest bidder. Kendall and Shelby had gotten into the business in order to collect such artefacts and ensure they could be displayed, allowing access to people who couldn't necessarily afford to gather such things themselves. The point of a museum was to ensure that it wasn't only the super-rich who could see the wonders of the past.

While it was pretty much exactly the opposite of what they wanted to do, Kendall also knew they didn't have much choice in the matter. In her call to Anton to explain what had happened, he had made it abundantly clear that he considered it Kendall's mess and expected her to clean it up. While he easily had the means, he had outright stated he wouldn't be solving the problem by just opening his check book to make Mr Smith go away. Anton had put so much faith in Kendall throughout her career and helped her when others were doing everything they could to brand her unfit and a failure in her field that his disappointment was almost worse than trying to find the money to pay off Mr Smith.

Kendall did have some savings, though research didn't really pay as well as a lot of people would think. Most money for archaeological digs and research came from donors or grants. It had been a long time since she had published any work, and so her only real income at present had been her salary. Her savings would hardly make much of a dent in the $2,000,000 dollars that the suit was worth, never mind whatever Mr Smith would arbitrarily decide he wanted to be paid in "mental anguish" and "inconvenience" for the loss of his property.

The others had offered to put in what they could, but if Kendall's savings barely dented the debt, the Rangers' wouldn't even scratch the paintwork. Most of them had little more than the change in their pockets. The only saving grace with selling off the exhibits was knowing that if Mr Smith DID end up taking the museum as he had threatened, he would sell off the pieces himself anyway and so they took that from him.

Of course, if they sold off everything, they wouldn't have much of a museum. A museum without any exhibits was better known as a glorified shed! They had started off with gathering as much in the way of "doublers", artefacts they had more than one of, or partial exhibits such as incomplete skeletons in order to prioritise keeping as many exhibits as possible. This was compounded by the fact they didn't actually own all of the exhibits anyway. Anything that had been donated would have to be returned to the owner in the event of closure.

Kendall couldn't help admiring Shelby's courage, being on an educational scholarship, she had to know that if they couldn't cover it with sales, then her scholarship would be the first to go. It was a harsh reality of being on what amounted to a casual contract.

"One triceratops horn, estimated value...$3000." Shelby sighed sadly, running a hand over the horn as Riley typed the running total into a calculator. "I can't believe we have to sell all these things off!"

"We really don't have a choice." Kendall responded, checking another few pieces. "Six trilobite fossils, estimated value...$10 each."*

"TEN DOLLARS?" Riley questioned her. "That's all?"

"Trilobites aren't especially rare, most people can find them lying around on the ground if they look hard enough." Kendall reminded him, shaking her head in dismay knowing how pathetic this value was in comparison to what they owed, but knowing that they literally needed every penny if they were going to even hope to cover their debt. "Thank you Ebay."

"So how's the running total looking?" Shelby asked them as he put down some tools that Koda had been willing to give them from his collection. Even though they were the last things he had from his home, he was willing to give whatever he could. His cave paintings from his original home and his tools were all he had of value, and while he did want to keep them, he also knew there wasn't much point in having a bunch of possessions if he no longer had a home to keep them in. Riley totalled it all up.

"Presuming we got the average valuation, $128,456.76 according to latest figures." Riley told them. This hit everyone in the room like a truck. They were nowhere near what they needed, and this was everything they could afford to simply auction off, which admittedly COULD end up getting them a little more if they got enough enthusiasts attending the auction, but it was doubtful people would pay five or six times the value! Not to mention if there weren't many collectors or syndicates participated to keep down the number of bids, they could easily get less.

"Alright, um...we're primarily a natural history museum, start closing down the post pre-historic exhibits." Kendall told Shelby sadly. Shelby picked up a ledger detailing what the museum owned and what was lent to them by private donors and was about to head upstairs when Ivan returned, his Energem zooming from his hand to the crystal beds. He turned to Kendall, his face betraying the fact he now fully understood the gravity of the situation he had put them in.

"Alas, I'm afraid I failed to secure the funds needed to cover my debt." Ivan told them dejectedly, before looking around and seeing all the gathered exhibits. "What's going on here?"

"This is everything the museum can afford to part with." Shelby informed him. "Well, this and a few other pieces I need to inventory."

"You would sell these?" Ivan demanded. "But Ms Morgan, these exhibits are the heart and soul of this museum!"

"It doesn't matter, Shelby...just...put the ledger down." Kendall told them as she took off her glasses and started to rub her temples, her head beginning to ache. "Even if we got top end value for everything, we're still way off what we need. We have to face facts. The museum is lost."

Ivan sunk down onto the floor, putting his head between his knees.

"What have I done?" He murmured. "Everything we've fought for, and I've...I've destroyed it all."

"You don't need to worry. The Rangers will survive, Anton won't let that die off." Kendall assured them. "The museum, all of our jobs and my career on the other hand...that's another matter."

"Ms Morgan..."

"Hey guys!" Tyler threw out cheerfully as he and Chase came into the Dino Lab. They didn't look like they cared at all about the fact they had left the museum without explanation, and something else seemed off about them. Unless Chase had suddenly gained 20 inches to his waistline and Tyler had added about 100 pounds of muscle to his thighs in the last couple of hours, their pockets were stuffed to breaking point. They way they both moved, it looked like they were struggling to walk under the weight of whatever they were carrying, and they jingled with every step. "What's up?"

"We're going to lose the museum." Shelby told them sadly.

"Well, that sucks...um...Ms Morgan, do you have a safe or something?" Chase asked her, seeming to rush through the conversation without really listening to what had been said.

"Chase, did you hear what she said?" Riley asked him.

"Yeah, that's awful, Ms Morgan, the safe?" Chase asked again.

"Why would you need a safe?" Kendall asked, noticing how antsy they both were, and how eager they seemed to be to leave again, like there was something vital they needed to do right away. "What's in your pockets?"

"Our...our pockets?" Chase asked, looking to Tyler. They both nodded in wordless agreement that they couldn't tell the others. The more people that knew about the treasure, the more people would want a share. "There's nothing..."

Before he could finish though, their pockets finally gave up the struggle against the strain and burst open. Gold coins fell to the ground like gold coloured snowflakes, covering the floor all around their feet. Riley, Shelby, Koda and Kendall all stared at them in amazement.

"Hands off, they're ours!" Tyler yelled, holding out his hands to fend off potential attempts to claim the coins.

"Tyler...this could save the museum!" Shelby shrieked in delight, trying to go for the coins.

"The museum? This could buy and sell the place a dozen times over!" Riley interjected. As they tried to get close though, Chase and Tyler looked like they were getting ready to fight off their friends.

"Hey, we found these, get your own!" Chase snapped at them. "There are hundreds lying around out there!"

"CHASE!" Tyler snapped at him, nudging him aggressively. As Riley, Koda and Shelby all started screaming at them, descending the room into a huge argument about the gold, Kendall noted how oddly they were acting, and immediately knew something was wrong. SERIOUSLY wrong. While she had no doubt that Tyler and Chase were not completely without greed, like anyone else, they were serious about their Ranger duties. If they had a way to help the team, they would do so without a second thought, especially if, as it seemed, they could easily cover the needs of the museum and have plenty left over. She also thought it was more than a little bit of a coincidence these coins turned up for no good reason.

"Wait, get back, don't touch them!" Kendall replied, getting a set of tongs and picking up a coin.

"HEY!" Chase protested.

"I promise I'll give it back." Kendall told him. "I just want to analyse it. I'll bet there's a lot more to these coins than just gold."

"If anything happens to that coin..."

"It's coming from YOUR share!" Tyler snorted angrily, shoving Chase. The others all backed off, seeing how Chase and Tyler were acting. Seeing the two friends acting like spoiled children fighting over a toy, they too started to suspect that there was more to the coins than met the eye.

Over at the Embassy, Margaret was sitting, watching as Phillipe started looking through some old records. She didn't mind coming back from the museum. While the chemotherapy was treating her cancer and potentially saving her life, it did leave her feeling very ill and drained. She got tired easily and was exhausted after even a short visit to her friends.

Kendall had told Phillipe about the situation with the suit of honour, but when he heard about it, this seemed to trigger something in Phillipe that caused him to immediately rush back to the embassy to start looking through all his old archives.

"Phillipe, mind if I ask what you're looking for?" Margaret asked him. "I might be able to help."

"I don't think there's a reference card for this." Phillipe told her, snatching up another book and starting to flick through it. Phillipe looked up as one of his aides came in the door.

"Your Highness, there are some police officers here to see you." He told him. The Prince and Margaret looked at each other, more than a little curious.

"What do they want?" He asked.

"They wanted to bring a matter to your attention, something they believe may affect one of our citizens. To be exact they're looking for one of our citizens and wonder if you can help." He explained. Now Phillipe was completely lost.

"Show them in." He responded. The man showed in a couple of police officers. "My aide said you wanted to talk about one of my citizens?"

"We believe one of your citizens may have been involved in an incident at the First Bank of Amber Beach." One of the officers told him as pulled out her notepad. "We wondered if you might be able to help us track him down."

"Incident?" Phillipe asked. "What makes you think he's one of our citizens?"

"He was said to have an accent. He walked into the bank and asked for a bar of gold, presenting a promissory note from the Vatican to the teller." The officer told him. "When the teller pressed him for identification he pulled out a sword." Phillipe and Margaret both looked to each other.

"Ivan." They said together.

"Then you know..."

"I...just want to check something out first, I can't say for sure." Phillipe said, trying to desperately back-pedal on this hoping not to end up sending the Gold Ranger to prison for bank robbery. "Would you leave this with me?"

"If you have any information..."

"I'll pass along anything I find out in due course." Phillipe assured them. "In the meantime, can I offer you anything before you go?"

"Your Highness..."

"I understand, you're busy. Keeping the peace, Amber Beach's finest and all that, I won't keep you any longer than necessary." He rushed out, beginning to rush them out the door. "My aide will take your contact details and show you out. Keep up the good work officers!"

As he closed the doors behind them, he breathed a sigh. Margaret just started laughing.

"Someone should REALLY talk to Ivan about carrying that thing!" She chuckled. "I know California's an open-carry state, but he should know that walking around with a sword tends to make people nervous."

She noticed that Phillipe was staring at something. He started smiling.

"It's been staring me in the face all this time!" He said, before rushing and gathering up some things. He went over to Margaret. "Um...I have to...is there anything I can...?"

"I can call one of the others if I need anything." She answered. Phillipe kissed her, before running out of the door, almost sending one of his servants flying as he rushed out the door.

In Sledge's ship, Wrench was working on Spelldigger's medallion while Heckyl paced impatiently behind him, while Fury, who had fled his battle with the Gold Ranger waited for his judgement.

"So if two of the Rangers are crippled by greed, then why don't I have to Energems?" He demanded of Fury.

"If it had been me, I would have..."

"Not now Singe!" Heckyl cut him off.

"That accursed Gold Ranger stuck his nose in!" Fury growled at him. "If he hadn't gotten involved..."

"I don't know, you give someone your firepower and all they bring is excuses." Singe commented. Fury reached for his sword, but Heckyl warned him off by powering up his hand, ready to unleash a blast if he didn't back down.

"Master Heckyl, I've finished with Spelldigger's medallion." Wrench told him. "Now, it'll act as a gateway to a pocket dimension. It'll suck in anything directed at it! The Rangers won't know what hit them!"

"How about we have a little less talking and a few more results?" Heckyl suggested. "Bring me those Energems, or I may consider putting all of you into that dimension!"

Back at the museum, Ivan was sitting outside, getting some fresh air and lamenting the position he had put the team in with his actions when he noticed something a little way off. Mr Smith was talking to some men, who appeared to be carrying a number of folders, charts and plans. Since he was also pointing up to the building, he presumed he was already making plans for what he planned to do with the site when the museum was unable to pay. Ivan got up and started to head over.

"Now, I think that section over there would be best for the gym and pool." Mr Smith told them. "Perhaps an ice-cream parlour right across from it would be a good idea. Either people stuff themselves with ice cream and feel so guilty they go to the gym, or they go to the gym and come out to fill those calories they just burned off."

"We can do that." One of the men answered. "What do you want to do about this water feature?"

"Mr Smith!" Ivan called out, heading towards him. Mr Smith dismissed the architects and turned to Ivan.

"Well, what do you want?" He asked. Ivan took a deep breath.

"Mr Smith, I implore you. I beg of you, this museum is an invaluable resource for the people of Amber Beach. Find it in your heart to be generous and spare the museum. I beg of you!" Ivan said pleadingly.

"It's an invaluable asset to me too. I'm turning it into a mall." Mr Smith informed him.

"Mr Smith, please allow me to repay..."

"Do you have $5,000,000?" He asked. Ivan looked puzzled.

"Five? I thought the suit was only worth two." He commented. Mr Smith just stared at him, saying nothing. "I have something better for you than mere money."

"What could be better than money?" Mr Smith scoffed at him. Ivan pulled out his sword, holding it before him and knelt before him.

"As a Knight of Zandar, my word is a bond more powerful than gold. If you spare the museum, I swear I will spend the remainder of my life protecting you." Ivan declared. Mr Smith just sighed.

"I could hire a bodyguard for a few thousand a year if I wanted that." He scoffed. "Besides, my assistant Ms Sandra does more than just take notes!"

At that, his assistant handed her notebook to Mr Smith and immediately drew into a guard, brandishing wicked-looking manicured nails that looked a lot more like talons than fingernails! She let out a snarl as she adopted a guard. Ivan pulled back a little from her. Mr Smith placed the head of his cane on Ivan's shoulder.

"Once this mall is built, it will earn me a fortune!" Mr Smith told him. "You shredding that suit was the best thing that ever happened. Have my $5,000,000 by this time tomorrow or get the hell off my land!"

As he left, Ivan just held his face in his hands.

 **A/N:** In the show, I noticed Kendall didn't mention a value for those fossils, so I did indeed get the valuation from EBay.


	10. Always Settle A Debt

In the Dino Lab, Kendall had ran pretty much every test she could think of on the mysterious gold coin that she had, convinced Tyler and Chase to let her analyse. She had seen a lot of coins in her time, and while it wasn't her chief area of study, the coins didn't look like any currency she could recall seeing. They were mostly just unmarked disks with no real discernible features, but given the fact that Tyler and Chase were ready to fight their friends to keep the ones they had, and they could only be convinced to give up this one on the promise they get it back, she knew there had to be more to them.

Allison brought down some coffee for the team, handing one to Kendall.

"So what's with these coins?" She asked them. "Is this how we're going to pay off Mr Smith? I've already had to chase off some of his goons who were in here with measuring tapes."

"I'm not sure, there's something really off about these coins." Kendall told her. "Until I know exactly what, I don't think in good conscience I could give them to anyone."

"What's with them?" Allison asked her, pointing to where Tyler and Chase were sitting with massive piles of the coins, their arms wrapped around them protectively. Riley, Shelby, Koda and Ivan were all standing nearby, just in case the two came to blows again. They had already tried a few times to sneak a few coins from each other's piles into their own.

"I don't know, but it has to do with these coins." Kendall told her. "It's like they're obsessed with them. They didn't even want to let me take this one to analyse."

Allison went over to the table, to where Chase was sitting with his coins. As she got close though, he drew his coins closer, like he thought she was coming for his money.

"Chase, can I...can I talk to you for a minute?" She asked him. Chase just scowled at her.

"Maybe later." He told her. "I need to stop Grabby Hands here from taking these."

"Hey, you already took some of mine! Don't think I didn't see you slide that one over with your elbow!" Tyler warned him.

Allison just gave Chase a little smile and moved in closer, whispering something in his ear. His eyes opened wide, and a huge grin split his face, but after a quick look to his coins, and then to his friends, he looked up to her.

"I'm kind of busy right now; maybe we can do that later? I can...book us a hotel!" Chase told her, looking to his pile of coins again. "You know...a cheap one."

"Unbelievable." Allison muttered, shaking her head and walking away. Chase got up, but gave Tyler a stern look.

"I've counted all of them, I'll know if you take any." He warned him. "Riley, make sure he doesn't take any."

With that, he ran after Allison, catching her in the corridor. He caught her shoulder, turning her around.

"Allison, have I done something wrong here?" He asked her. Allison took a deep breath.

"Chase, what is your deal here?" She asked him.

"You don't get it. I just found all these coins! I'm rich! And if I could just put them somewhere safe long enough to get more, I could get even richer!" He told her.

"Chase, you've NEVER cared about having money. I once caught you sniffing your own underwear to tell if you could wear them another day before turning them inside out!" She told him. "Why is money so important to you now? What about me?"

"Allison, you are incredible! You are so amazing and..."

"And I'm over here!" She told him, seeing his gaze drift towards his coins again. "You can't even focus on me for one whole minute can you?"

"Allison, you are so important to me, and with these coins, we could do so much together." Chase told her.

"Great. So what do you have in mind? Maybe you could buy us a place together?" Allison asked him. Chase grimaced a little hearing this.

"Apartments are kind of pricey. The one I'm in the museum covers..."

"OK, then how about we take a trip together?" She asked him. "Our trip to San Angeles didn't go exactly as planned did it?"

"It's the height of the season; holidays are really expensive right now." He argued.

"Then how about a meal?" Allison asked. "As much as I love this place, I'd like us to do something other than eat here."

"I know this great place where they have a pizza buffet for ten bucks..."

"Chase, you've been telling me how great it is to have all this money, but what's the point in having money if you don't spend any of it?" She asked him. "The guy I started going out with spent all his money on music and his skateboard. The guy I fell in love with is..."

"Is what?" Chase asked her. Allison just shook her head and sighed deeply.

"Never mind, it's not important." Allison answered, before walking away. "You go be with your coins. I guess I'll catch up with you when you're not quite so busy."

As Chase returned to the table, once again putting his arms around the pile of cash, Kendall checked her computer, finding the analysis complete.

"That's it, the coins are encoded." She told them. "They're giving out a signal that stimulates the part of the brain that makes people greedy."

"Ha! Good thing it didn't affect us!" Tyler called out. Jake just scoffed.

"Greedy, that is so terrible." He agreed, before double-checking that his pile and Tyler's were still separate and there was no chance of anyone 'confusing' whose coins belonged to who.

"What if we get more gold coins?" Koda asked them. They all just looked to him a little confused.

"Koda, these coins are what's causing..."

"No, get gold coins for Mr Smith." Koda clarified. "LOTS of gold coins, more than his silly suit worth, so much he have to take! He want money, we give him money."

"But if the coins make him greedy, what if he takes them AND the museum?" Shelby asked him.

"We show him coins first, then make him sign contract." Koda explained with a smile. While he wasn't a financial expert, as a result of his wrestling career, he had signed a few contracts as of late. He understood that they were formal agreements that protected both sides of an agreement. "Once he sign, it no matter if he want to go back on word, museum ours!"

"That...that's actually pretty smart." Riley said, looking impressed that for someone who came from a time before currency even existed; he had come up with a solid plan for contractual finance. "I mean, the guy's greedy anyway, and at least the coins would be going to a good cause."

"As much of a jerk as he is, I still don't think we can just give him coins that we know are going to turn him into...well..." Shelby nodded towards Tyler, who was hunched so far over his coins now that Chase was looking at them that he almost looked like he was about to start kissing them. "...that."

"Most of the monsters we face, their powers stop working once we destroy them." Ivan reminded them. "And since we have to stop the monster anyway..."

They all looked to Kendall, who just sighed.

"Well, it's not like I have any better ideas." She stated. "It's worth a shot. Tyler? Chase? You need to lead the others back to where the monster's treasure is."

She saw the way they were looking at her, at which she just rolled her eyes.

"Don't worry, I'll put the gold in the safe and make sure no one touches your coins." Kendall assured them.

A little while later, Chase and Tyler had led the team out of the city, finding where they had given up on their search to bring back the coins they had collected. They were both so overjoyed to see that no one had found the other coins that they almost knocked everyone else into the dirt to get to them.

"Alright, I can see the trail." Riley told them, but as he got closer to Chase and Tyler, he saw the trail abruptly end. "But it looks like the trail ends here."

"Someone must have found the rest of the treasure!" Tyler snapped, before shoving Chase. "I told you we should have kept going!"

"We ran out of room to carry them! What were you planning to do? Eat them?" Chase asked as the two started to hit each other in what could only be described as a couple of overgrown kindergarteners in a slap-fight. Shelby just face-palmed as Riley and Ivan pulled them apart.

"That is my boyfriend." She muttered. Just then, Spelldigger burst out of the tree-line, landing before the Rangers.

"It's the end of the...oh...uh oh, there are more of you than I expected!" He said, looking around nervously. "Um...can I get some back-up?"

"You amateurs really don't know how to spring an ambush do you?" Singe drawled casually as he and Fury came out of cover. "Just as well the big boys are here to tell you how to do the job right."

By now, the Rangers had morphed, and were already battling Spelldigger. The hybrid monster was doing pretty well, fending them off with his pick axe weapon, but Singe could see that his flailing was still far from a match for the Ranges. As he took some fire from the team, Singe just shook his head in disbelief.

"Spelldigger, what is the point in Wrench giving you an upgrade if you aren't going to use it?" Singe asked him. Spelldigger looked to his cohorts as Fury just levelled his sword his way, pointing it at his chest.

"The medallion you idiot!" Fury reminded him. "USE IT!"

Spelldigger saw Riley, Shelby and Chase firing at him, and opened up the medallion on his chest, opening a vortex to another dimension. The Rangers watched as their blasts just sailed harmlessly into the vortex.

"Whew, that worked!" Spelldigger said gratefully as he was about to close the portal. Singe and Fury just grabbed him and held him in place. "What are you doing?"

"What are YOU doing?" Fury asked him, before throwing open the medallion fully. "Why just take their firepower when you can take them?"

The Rangers all had to brace themselves as an unnatural force pulled them towards Spelldigger. They fell to the ground, trying to anchor themselves in to save themselves.

"I can't believe one of Wrench's little plans is actually going to work!" Fury commented, seeing the team struggling to keep their grip. "You can't hold on forever Rangers!"

"Maybe, but maybe we don't need to." Tyler suggested as he suddenly let go.

"TYLER!" The Rangers all screamed, seeing him rocket towards the monster. In the air, Tyler changed into his T-Rex Supercharge mode and summoned the Ankylo Hammer. He timed his swing, catching the medallion the instant before he was about to be sucked into the other dimension, and smashing it shut. Fury, Singe and Spelldigger all rolled away, scattered by the force of the blow.

"Tyler, that was amazing!" Shelby complimented him as the team all regrouped, ready to fight.

"What can I say, I gambled and won!" Tyler told her.

Spelldigger quickly checked the medallion to try and open it up again, but it was now so buckled and bent that it was no longer able to open.

"My medallion, it's kaput!" He whined. "You're going to pay for that!"

"Not if I destroy you first!" Tyler answered as he summoned little Rexy into his hands, converting him to blaster mode. The others all lined up behind him, channelling their power into him. "T-Rex Supercharge, FINAL STRIKE!"

With a massive explosion, Spelldigger disappeared in a ball of flame. Singe and Fury looked to each other.

"I suppose it was going a little too well for one of Wrench's plans!" Singe said casually. "Why don't you call down air support so we can get out of here?"

"Master Heckyl, Spelldigger is down." Fury said through a communicator. "Fire the Magna Beam."

The Rangers didn't notice Fury and Singe leaving though, as Spelldigger exploded, all his remaining treasure was scattered all through the air, and was falling all around them in a cascade of gold.

"Spelldigger wasn't lying about one thing; he really DID have a massive treasure!" Riley commented. "If we take all this, there's no way Mr Smith will refuse to give us the museum back."

"Or we could just build a bigger and better one!" Shelby suggested. Then, before their eyes, they all watched as the coins started to glow, before vanishing completely. Shelby's heart sank.

"The coins! That was the museum's last chance!" She shrieked.

"What happened?" Tyler asked, grasping his head. "I was so...greedy."

"Oh my God, I was such a douchebag. I had all those coins and all I wanted was to get more." Chase commented. "I've always hated dudes like that."

"One problem at a time Shelby." Riley said as he pointed upwards. "Right now, we have a far more pressing problem to deal with."

Later, back at Heckyl's ship, Fury was stomping around the corridors, venting his frustrations at their latest failure. While some of Heckyl's previous plans had been close to success, he had to think that this one had fallen way short of the mark. It seemed to inconvenience the Rangers more than anything else. Most of all, he was once again finding himself on the receiving end of Heckyl's ire as he had spent a good length of time blaming Fury and Singe for the failure. Spelldigger, having been destroyed, had avoided that much at least, and so they had to face his rage alone.

As he neared his old cell, the one Singe had kicked him out of to get the atmospheric controls he needed to deal with his unique condition, he heard Singe's voice. At first, he thought perhaps Singe was talking to himself, but after a moment, hearing only half of a conversation, he realised that Singe was talking to someone else.

"What is he up to?" Fury mused as he pulled in closer.

"Yes sir, you can trust me." Singe said, but as he approached the cell door, Fury couldn't help noticing no one else was in the cell. He was talking on some kind of communications device. "Heckyl is here on Earth. He's looking for the Energems too."

"Who are you talking to?" Fury demanded, causing Singe to spin around. The molten creature looked a little surprised to see Fury.

"Oh, that? That was my sweet old Grandma. She worries so, she always likes to hear about my adventures." Singe told him. Fury though wasn't convinced in the slightest. Never having believed Singe could be trusted, he had never given any weight to anything he said.

"Do you always call your Grandma 'sir'?" Fury asked him. Singe's expression let Fury know that he was thinking about his answer. Whatever he had to say, it was far too late to be convincing. "You may fool Heckyl, but you DON'T fool me."

"Ooh, I'm just quivering with fear." Singe said sarcastically. "Not to worry, soon it won't matter if any of you believe me or not."

The following morning, the mood in the museum was very down-beat. Allison and Leanne, as well as the whole team had turned up, more as a way to say goodbye than anything else. They had sold what they could, but even then they were significantly short of the debt. Kendall looked to the others.

"I don't know what's going to happen, but I promise you. Anton won't let the Ranger team be affected by this." She told them. "In the meantime, there should be enough here to cover any of your expenses until you all find new jobs."

"This isn't fair. I was the one who made a mistake." Ivan said morosely. "If he would take it out on me..."

"We appreciate that Ivan, but the fact is, the suit was in the care of the museum." Kendall told him. "The buck, sadly, stops here."

"I'm glad to see you taking responsibility at least." Mr Smith said as he swaggered arrogantly into the museum. "Now, give me my money or get out!"

Ivan approached him.

"Mr Smith, I implore you, if you could find it in your heart to be generous..."

"Generous? Why should I be generous?" He said abruptly. "Everybody wants something, and I want my $10,000,000!"

"TEN?" Ivan yelled. "But yesterday you only wanted five!"

"That was before I got phone calls from several major businesses, all wanting key locations in my new mall." He said with a huge grin. "Now, do you have my money?"

"If its money you want, I believe I may have a solution." Phillipe said as he arrived. Mr Smith seemed completely star-struck to see actual royalty standing before him.

"Prince Phillipe! As I live and breathe! This is a most unexpected honour!" Mr Smith said, shaking his hand before Phillipe could offer it. "You know, my family has noble blood too, the Schmitts of..."

"Yes, well we can discuss history later perhaps. I wanted to return this to you." Phillipe told him, handing him the remains of the suit of honour. "I also wanted to offer a solution. I was made aware of a visit this man made to the bank by the police."

"Bank?" Kendall asked.

"Police?" Shelby asked, also looking to Ivan.

"It's just a wee misunderstanding." Ivan said, trying to forget the 'robbery' situation in the bank the previous day. "Pray continue."

"You see, this man was attempting to reclaim something from his...um...ancestor, Sir Ivan of Zandar. It was deposited in a bank...though not that one. Really if you wanted to reclaim your family's treasure you could have just asked me."

"I didn't think that one through did I?" Ivan asked him.

"I would say not." Phillipe told him. "However, I've verified your promissory note, and on behalf of the Crown of Zandar, I'm happy to give you what you are owed. That bar of gold has been with the crown for over 800 years, so with compound interest I would value that at...a little over $2,000,000."

He handed Ivan a cheque, at which the Gold Ranger presented it to Mr Smith.

"Mr Smith, please, allow me to settle my debt to you." Ivan begged him. "I know I wronged you, but..."

"But nothing! I want TEN MILLION!" He barked angrily. "That suit of honour has been in my family for 1000 years! It was worn by an emperor..."

"Ah, yes, may I just have a little word with you about that?" Phillipe said, gesturing over to a corner. Mr Smith and his assistant followed Phillipe just out of earshot, where he talked to them for a moment, and even showed them something. They all watched as the colour drained from Mr Smith's face. He looked up to Phillipe, and then started to walk back towards Ivan.

"I...I suppose...I could just accept this as one of those things." He stammered, taking the cheque. "Accidents happen, and you are willing to make amends..."

"Well, if I didn't, then the town would lose this museum, and then we would all be poorer." Ivan said proudly. As Mr Smith was about to leave, he saw Phillipe standing in the doorway.

"That is a fine sentiment." Phillipe told him. "And I am certain that a sizeable donation would be a wonderful gesture to show that there are no hard feelings for an honest mistake."

"But...but..." Mr Smith stammered, before sighing and handing Ivan back the cheque. "FINE!"

"Oh, one more thing?" Phillipe said, holding out his hand. Mr Smith handed him the remains of the suit of honour and stormed out.

The Rangers all cheered, rushing over to greet Phillipe, grateful to know that the museum was saved.

"That was amazing! You saved the museum!" Shelby said, hugging Phillipe tightly. Koda joined in, lifting both of them off the ground.

"I was grateful to help." Phillipe said as he straightened himself out.

"I have to ask...what did you say to him?" Kendall asked.

"I think that should remain between us." Phillipe stated.

"Please, we promise we won't tell anyone." Shelby said, also eager to find out how Phillipe had talked Mr Smith into walking out empty handed. He pulled out his tablet and showed them an oil painting of a man, standing, wearing the suit of honour.

"I thought I'd recognised that suit, so I did a little digging and found this picture of one of my ancestors, my great great, you get the idea, uncle."

"Your ancestor?" Kendall asked him. He just nodded.

"After doing a bit of digging in the archives I found a story that said he had fallen in love with a peasant woman. When his father disapproved and forbade the wedding, he planned to elope with her to Germany, taking significant family treasures to make a new life for them."

"So if that guy is your ancestor, does that mean you and Mr Smith are related?" Shelby asked him.

"Well, the story doesn't end there. It ends with him going to Zandar harbour fully intending to leave. Only to find his lover had already left...and taken the treasure with her." Phillipe told them with a wry smile. "When she got to Germany, she ended up marrying a local businessman of some repute, though not of noble birth. He made up a coat of arms, spread a carefully edited version of his family history and joined the ranks of the social elite as he had always dreamed."

"WOW!" Chase chuckled. "No wonder Mr Smith wasn't happy to hear what you had to say!"

"I just assured him I would remain silent on the truth of his family history if he was willing to settle the original debt." Phillipe told them, before inspecting the suit. "So if anything, it was me you owed. Just as well I'm a more generous and understanding man than Mr Smith."

"But you made him give back the cheque." Allison pointed out.

"Did anyone hear me tell him to give you the cheque?" Phillipe said with a faux innocence in his expression. "I merely suggested a donation would be a fine gesture."

"So what are you going to do with your money Ivan?" Tyler asked. Ivan looked to the cheque, and then back to his friends.

"Prince Phillipe is right; it is him I owe for the damages." Ivan said, handing the cheque to Phillipe. "I damaged your property, and as such, it is my duty to repay you."

"Ivan, the money was paid to you by my family for services rendered." Phillipe said, slipping the cheque into his shirt pocket. "That suit hasn't been in my family for a thousand years. I really won't miss it."

"But I insist, I owe you." Ivan said, thrusting the cheque back.

"I don't want it!" Phillipe said, putting it in Ivan's collar.

"A Knight of Zandar always settles his debts! Especially to the crown!" Ivan responded, shoving the cheque in Phillipe's suit pocket. This continued back and forward for a while, neither man wanting to accept the cheque and trying to force the other man to take it, before Shelby stepped between them.

"If I can make a suggestion?" She said. "You did say a donation to the museum would be a good gesture. Since neither of you wants it, how about you put it into the museum?"

Phillipe and Ivan looked to each other, before nodding in agreement.

"Yes...yes that seems acceptable." Phillipe said, trying to compose himself and gloss over the fact he didn't come up with that solution himself.

"Quite." Ivan agreed.

"So, what are we spending the money on?" Tyler asked.

"For starters, I think a paid day off for everyone on staff is the least I can do." Kendall told them, just as her cell phone bleeped. The team were celebrating as she read the message. Shelby noticed the shell-shocked look in Kendall's face while the others were planning what to do in their day off.

"Ms Morgan?" She asked. "What's wrong?"

"Yeah, what's the deal boss lady?" Allison asked her. Kendall just handed her the phone. Allison read it for a moment. "Oh."

"What is it?" Tyler asked.

"It seems Anton think this shows that the responsibility of running the museum AND the team is a little too much on my plate." Kendall told them. "He's sending a new museum director."

"Wait, but you're the museum director." Chase stated.

"Not anymore." Kendall sighed. "As of this moment, I'm the floor supervisor. I have been officially demoted!"


	11. The New Director

The following week was quiet on the Heckyl front, which was something of a blessing for the Rangers. While Heckyl had yet to unleash a new plan on them, they were busy preparing for the arrival of the new Museum Director. It was a strange atmosphere as everyone wondered what would happen with the new boss, and as soon as the speculation and rumours as to who would take over the day-to-day running of the museum started, everything descended into complete chaos.

Every department had to compile everything into a suitable state for the new Director to be able to see what was working and what wasn't. People started worrying about what kind of changes would be made, and inevitably the subject of cuts in funding and staffing were quickly starting to run rampant. Kendall had already received three resignations as people sought to abandon what they saw as a sinking ship.

Allison had managed, so far, to keep the restaurant running pretty smoothly, even though Kendall had to transfer more responsibility to her since soon, strictly speaking, the restaurant would no longer be her responsibility. With things as close as possible to how they were when she arrived, Kendall was in her office, packing up the last of her things.

She didn't have much in the way of personal effects in the office; in fact, she didn't really spend much time in there at all. Usually, most of her time was spent on the museum floor or in the Dino Lab, but now that the office would no longer be hers, she was starting to feel her demotion for the first time. This was no longer her space, her throne to rule over the domain of her museum. As she put the last thing in a small box, a framed picture of the team that she had been given for Christmas, Shelby arrived behind her, gently knocking the door.

"So, you have everything?" Shelby asked her. Kendall just nodded, picking up the box. It wasn't as though she no longer had a job. Between her lab work and being the Purple Ranger, it wasn't like he could get rid of her completely, though he had said that he believed overseeing the museum as well had proven to be too much for her. However it was dressed up, it was a major blow to Kendall's reputation, not to mention her pride.

"That's the last of it." Kendall told her as she headed for the door. "Any sign of the new Director yet?"

"No, and he hasn't called or anything." Shelby told her. "You don't suppose Anton's changed his mind do you? I mean, he was pretty steamed about the suit, but maybe he's cooled down a little?"

"One thing you learn working for Anton Mercer as long as I have is that he rarely makes snap decisions." Kendall assured her. "If the new guy isn't here yet, you can be pretty sure he's on his way."

"This is so unfair; it wasn't even your fault!" Shelby screeched.

"But the museum is...WAS my responsibility. Ultimately it is my fault." Kendall reminded her. "Like it or not, Anton is well within his rights to demote or fire me as he sees fit."

"So what are you going to do now?" Shelby asked. Kendall just sighed.

"It's definitely a setback." Kendall agreed. "I...guess it'll give me more time to work on that PhD thesis you made me promise I would. That should help when all this is over. I could also focus more of my time on the stuff I actually wanted to focus on like the exhibits and..."

"You're looking for the silver lining aren't you?" Shelby asked her.

"So much!" Kendall answered. "I'm just going to put this in the lab for now. Give me a call when the new director arrives will you?"

With that, she took the box and headed for the lab, leaving Shelby to wonder what was going to become of the museum under its new rule.

Meanwhile, Koda was out in the parking lot, spearing some trash and putting it into a bag, getting the exterior ready for the new arrival. He looked up as he heard a squeal of tyres and loud music.

He looked up in time to see a black BMW careening down the street, weaving in and out of traffic, before turning into the parking lot. He watched as the car flew down the parking lot, heading straight for him. Koda ended up having to dive out of the way, landing in the bushes as it screeched to a halt right at the front door.

As Koda started to pull himself from the bushes, pulling some branches out of his hair, he saw the door open and a man got out. He was taller than Koda, and wore an immaculate white suit. He had dark brown hair that was greying at the temples. He looked up to the museum, taking off his designer sunglasses as he contemplated the building before him.

"So, this is it huh?" He asked in a thick, North London accent as Koda came over to him, looking less than happy with the fact this stranger had almost run him over. "Say buddy, you work here?"

Koda looked a little stunned by the question. The man didn't seem to appreciate at all that he had almost turned another person into a hood ornament.

"DO YOU WORK HERE?" He asked again, this time slower and louder. Koda just pointed to his name badge and nodded. The man smiled. "Good, get my bag from the car would you?"

"You want I do what?" Koda asked him. The man just sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Great, you don't speak English." He muttered, before taking out a few dollars. He looked to Koda and pointed to a bag in his car on the passenger seat. "You take the bag, I give you cash, understand?"

Koda smiled and nodded, reaching into the car and picking up the case. The stranger watched as he walked over to the nearest trash can and shoved it in, before heading back to the stranger and taking his cash, before walking away. The man stared into the trash.

"Thank God I didn't ask him to park the car." He responded, fishing out his case. He walked inside, looking around.

"Excuse me, can I help you?" Chase asked him. The man just looked to him.

"Yeah...where is everybody?" He asked. Chase just looked confused.

"Well, I'm here; Allison and Leanne are in the restaurant. Tyler and Riley are..."

"Not the staff, where are all the PEOPLE?" He demanded. "You know, customers? Where are all the CUSTOMERS?"

"Well, it is the middle of a weekday so..."

"Where do I find Kendall Morgan?" He asked. Chase finally figured out who this man was.

"You're the new Director aren't you?" Chase surmised. "Well, I'm Chase, Chase Randall and you are...?"

"Flash, Flash Barker." He answered. "Shut this place down, there's no one here anyway. God, no wonder this place never made any money. Get the staff, everyone on shift here now. I want to see what I have to work with."

"Um...alright." Chase said as he was about to head off.

"One more thing." Flash said, causing Chase to look back at him. "Your accent."

"Yeah, I'm from New Zealand, the South Islands." Chase told him. "I'm actually from..."

"Yeah, can we do something about that?" He asked. "I find it helpful if people can understand what the staff are saying."

Chase just turned and left, going in search of the others. Flash put down his case and looked up to a massive skeleton of a T-Rex.

"I have a lot of work to do." He commented.

Meanwhile, many miles from the museum, up in some mountains in Alaska, a group of hikers were making their way along some rough cliffs. The weather was cold, but dry, and the terrain made it slow going. Well, it made it slow going for all but one of them at least.

"I...I need...some rest." One of the men panted as he doubled over, resting his hands on his thighs.

"Come on slow polks!" The one in the lead position called back. "What's the hold up?"

"We've been hiking up these cliffs for hours! Give us a break!" Another called back.

"Oh please, we've barely been at it four hours!" The lead yelled.

"Look, we just want to rest up for a little while..."

"Look, I'm older than anyone else on this trip by at least 20 years and you don't hear me complaining." The woman answered, pulling down her hood. Betty, better known to Kendall as 'G-Ma Betty', had been travelling in this region for a couple of weeks now, and had recently joined a group heading into the mountains. "Besides, do you see those clouds? I see some caves up ahead. What do you think sounds better, a hiking tent or a few thousand feet of rock between you and the weather?"

The men looked at each other, before starting to follow Betty up the cliffs towards the caves. It took them another half hour, and by the time they got there, they collapsed in and dumped their gear on the floor, happy to be setting up camp. Betty though was on her feet, beginning to look around where they had come in.

"Thank God we got in; those clouds are almost right on top of us now." One of them said, looking out the front of the cave. "I don't know about you, but I think we might be in here for the night."

"You say that like it's a bad thing! Have none of you looked around?" Betty asked, shining her torch around the interior. The cave was lined with paintings. Rocks were arranged in a very deliberate way, marking out a fire pit and crude living areas. She pulled out a camera and started taking some shots. "Now this is the kind of thing people would work a lifetime to see!"

"This cave looks like it's been undisturbed in thousands of years." One of them stated, picking up a simple stone hammer and inspecting it. "How has something like this not been picked clean years ago?"

"Maybe because a lot of expeditions are full of pansies that want to rest up after hiking for a few hours." Betty shot back cheekily. She saw one of them about to head down another cave. "WAIT! Hold it right there!"

"What?" He asked. She pointed to the line of rocks by his feet.

"The previous owners marked that part off." She told him. "In my experience, people don't tend to cut off areas of their property for no good reason."

"You're right Betty, this is something else!" One of the men complimented her. He looked towards a large, shiny object, which on closer inspection almost seemed like it was made of glass. It was huge, round and smooth to the touch. It was surrounded by wooden struts and fibres that at one time seemed to have held them in some kind of frame, but had long since worn away so much that it had fallen apart. "What do you suppose this was?"

"I have absolutely no idea." She said with a smile, pulling some blankets out of her bag. "But I know my precious little Doodlebug would just love to have a look at this thing."

"Doodlebug?" One of the others asked.

"Just help me wrap this thing up." She answered. "It's got a long journey ahead of it."

Back at the museum, as per Flash's request, the museum had been cleared, and now only the staff were left behind. They were all lined up before him, and found themselves standing to attention. The fact that he had started off with a power move like closing the museum left a few of them more than a little nervous. For a few moments, he just stood, staring at them all.

"What do you think this is, the Palace Guard? Relax a little would you? All of you take a seat." He told them. Everyone sat down, all except for Kendall, who he gestured to remain standing. She wasn't especially surprised; he was essentially taking her job. At best, he needed to go through how the place ran with her, at worst, he was planning to make an example of her. "Now, what do we have here?"

"I can personally vouch for every..."

"You know what? Let's shake this up a little and start this with your questions for me." Flash said, opening up the floor. It took a moment, but eventually a few hands started going up. "Don't be shy! Yes, you, the one in the front row."

"I'm...um..."

"Please, stand up; we all want to hear what you have to say." Flash answered. The man struggled a little to get up from the floor. Henry, the man who ran the gift shop, was well into his sixties, and he had a few problems with his hips and his knees. He had been with the museum long before Kendall got there; in fact he was the longest-serving member of staff there, having been with the museum over 20 years. It was a little difficult watching him struggle to get up, and Riley ended up helping him. "Now, what can I help you with?"

"I've been here a long time, and with a few exceptions..." He cast a little glance towards Kendall to make the point. "The first thing that any new boss does is fire half the old staff. I guess I just wanted to know, how safe are our jobs?"

This was a valid question, one that was inevitably going to come up. Whenever there was a change in leadership, the first thing people wanted to know was if that would lead to a complete change in staff. It wasn't uncommon for a new boss to bring people they liked with them.

"Right now, I'm reserving judgement. You don't need to worry, I didn't bring a truck load of my own guys with me, I arrived in a Beamer. You can ask this guy." He said, pointing to Koda. The Blue Ranger now looked a little nervous, remembering trashing the man's luggage. He had been angered by the near-miss, and by the man's arrogance in dealing with him. "For now, I'm just going to observe you all doing your jobs. I need to see how this place ticks. If you're good at your job, you have nothing to worry about."

This didn't really do much to alleviate anyone's fears. The only ones that knew they really couldn't be going anywhere were the Rangers. They were sure Anton had already ensured Flash knew they weren't to be touched. Everyone else though, had essentially been thrown a gauntlet. If they didn't live up to Flash's expectations, whatever those were, then they would be gone, and he could easily chalk it up to being their fault and not his own. Allison put up a hand.

"Yes, what can I do you for?" Flash asked. Allison got up and stood before him.

"I just wanted to ask..."

"Wait, that accent, are you an Aussie?" He interrupted her. Allison just looked a little confused, but nodded. "I thought so. Alright, go ahead."

"I guess we all wanted to know, what are your qualifications?" Allison asked him. He just smiled.

"Now that came from nowhere." He said, looking almost impressed.

"Actually it comes from the fact that Ms Morgan has never heard of you at all in the field." Allison told him honestly. "I guess we all wanted to know where you've worked."

"Well, I did a stint in Rainbow's End, a little while down in Graceland. Most recently I worked for Disney World, now that was an experience..."

"Excuse me, but those are all amusement parks." Allison interrupted him.

"Yes, they are. They're also all businesses that earn seven figures per year profit margins." Flash stated.

"I guess..."

"Alright, thanks for your question." Flash said, cutting off Allison before she could answer. "Now, I couldn't help noticing some graffiti as I came in. Is this a good area?"

"This town as a whole is a wonderful place, full of wonderful people!" Ivan told him. "Like anywhere else, there are some bad eggs, but..."

"Wait a minute; we have a Kiwi, and Aussie, a Brit...God knows what this guy is..." Flash said, completely ignoring Ivan's statement and gesturing to Koda. "What is this? A bad United Colours of Benetton advert?"

Nobody answered, but they didn't seem to be too happy with his assertion.

"Right, the first thing I notice that troubles me is, I look around and what do I see?" He asked them. "She's wearing pink, he's wearing Red, he's wearing white...is there no dress code here at all?"

"Um...as long as it's clean and appropriate for the position, we're allowed to wear what we like." Leanne told him. Flash looked to her.

"Well, that might sound nice, but it doesn't really make the place look terribly unified and professional now does it?" He asked her. "Oh, and word of advice, you might want to hit the sun beds a little. The pale look's a little off-putting."

"I don't tan very well." Leanne grumbled.

"You there." He said, pointing to Koda. Koda just pointed at himself. "I'm guessing you're maintenance, I want you to go to my office and take the door off."

"You want I do what?" Koda asked.

"He's...um...he's not the maintenance man." Kendall told him. "Koda is one of the leading experts on early man there is. He's one of our dig team."

"Does he speak English?" He asked her.

"It's a second language." Kendall told him. He just sighed.

"Well, we can work on that can't we?" He asked. Koda didn't look happy at all with this. He'd worked incredibly hard to learn as much as he had already. "Now, would you mind getting the door off my office?"

"Koda..."

"I get." Koda said with a smile, before leaving. Flash looked to the rest of them.

"I'm not just spouting clichés when I say that I operate an open-door policy. In fact my office won't even have a door. If you have any concerns, feel free to come and...

There was a massive crashing sound, which interrupted him, at which Koda came back, holding the door in his hands. He rested it up against a wall, before returning to the others.

"Did he just...?"

"I told you, he's not a maintenance man." Kendall responded. Flash just shook his head in disbelief.

"Now, I want to take a tour, and I want you all to show me everything about this place." Flash announced. "Everyone back to your posts, I'll speak to you all on my tour. Ms Morgan, will you do the honours?"

"Of course." Kendall said, gesturing to him to follow her as everyone else went back to their assigned posts.


	12. New Day New Leader

The team were in the Dino Lab ahead of their first full day under the new director. They knew that they had to be a little more careful about their activities from the lab. They had already been told that like the majority of their staff, he was ignorant of their activities as Rangers, and the existence of the lab. The good news was, that meant they had somewhere to disappear to for a little bit of privacy when things got too much.

He had spent the previous day sizing up the museum, and while he hadn't been terribly clear on what he wanted to do, he promised sweeping changes. Most of the time on his tour was spent tutting and making non-committal sounds of mulling over his ideas while he wrote down notes that he didn't deign to show anyone else.

Flash had told them to be there half an hour before opening for a full-staff meeting before they opened for the first time under his leadership. The Rangers were usually there very early anyway, and so it wasn't much of an issue. They were killing some time until they found out exactly what Flash wanted. Ivan was watching as Riley was giving Leanne a few pointers on fencing, which clearly didn't interest her much at all, Tyler was exercising, practicing some gymnastics, while Shelby was busy studying for an essay she had due shortly for University.

"Alright, now you want to grip the sword, just like this. Not too tight, just, adjust your hand a little like that." Riley explained, putting his arms around Leanne as he directed her. The young blonde didn't seem to mind at all that he was so close to her, but her expression betrayed the fact that she really wasn't interested at all in this lesson. One of the reasons she was grateful to have left Briarwood was because she was surrounded by knights and mages and adventurers who would talk of little else. "That'll give you a little more power..."

"Do you really think power is a problem for me?" She asked him. He just pointed to her target, a watermelon that was sitting on top of a boulder.

"Just give it a try." Riley told her. "Remember, power itself isn't the only factor. If you strike quickly, the acceleration is a huge component in the overall force..."

His words tailed off as Leanne moved so quickly she could barely be seen. He looked to the watermelon which stood, having not moved an inch.

"Of course, hitting it is also good." He teased her. Leanne just pointed to it, at which the watermelon slowly fell into two equal halves. A moment later, his mouth fell open in shock as the boulder it was sitting on also fell into two halves. She handed him back the sword, and putting a finger under his chin, closed his mouth.

"Being a vampire helps too." She teased him back, before walking away. Ivan nodded in approval, before heading over to a table where Chase was working hard on something. He saw that he was building a model, making a trophy of sorts for her. Allison, like him, was a keen skater. It was one of the things that attracted them to each other, and she had taken part in a lot of competitions. It had been a while since she had competed because of her responsibilities and distractions, but Chase had taken it upon himself to make her something dedicated to the sport they both loved.

It was a statuette of a skater, in the middle of a trick, which Chase had spray-painted gold, and mounted on a wooden plinth. There was a little plaque on it.

"Allison, I'd face the 'grind' for you." Ivan said, reading the inscription aloud. "A strange sentiment, but I'm sure it's well-intended."

"Grinding is when you use the board to slide along a rail." Chase explained. "I kind of feel like we've not been doing much together lately, and after acting like a greedy douchebag thanks to that last monster, I thought I should show Allison I'm thinking about her."

"That's a nice thought Chase." Tyler complimented him. He noticed Leanne rolling her eyes. "What?"

"I never said a word." She told him.

"We've both got a half-day today, so I was going to take her on a picnic to the park." Chase told them. "I figure it's been a while since we spent an afternoon together just the two of us."

"I suppose that is true, we've all had quite a bit on thanks to Heckyl." Tyler answered. He heard Leanne muttering something. "Seriously, what is it?"

"Oh...nothing." Leanne answered. Just then, Koda came along, carrying with him a model of a space shuttle. He had pieces of it stuck all over his clothing, and a lot of pieces in his hair as well.

"I finish my model too." Koda declared proudly, showing them. He had gone with Chase to buy the model kit, and he had decided to give it a go himself. He furrowed his brows as he looked at it, and then to the picture on the box. "But mine look funny. I think I missing pieces."

"I think I know where they are." Tyler chuckled, tearing a piece out of his hair. Kendall came into the lab.

"Flash just pulled up outside, he's...oh good GRIEF." She exclaimed, seeing the mess Koda was in. "Weren't any of you watching him?"

"It's just a model." Chase replied, before looking at Koda, finally registering what the problem was. "Oh..."

"It's a model for experts, and Koda's never built one before!" Kendall reminded him, helping Tyler to pull the pieces from Koda's hair. "Go change your shirt Koda. Maybe later we can get you something that doesn't require glue."

Over on Heckyl's ship, Heckyl was going through his prisoner logs, looking for inspiration as to who to send against the Rangers next. There were a lot of promising prospects. He was arranging them into a short-list in order to think of how best to strategise. He was trying to decide between a hook-bearded monster that had a powerful, magical fishing rod, and a monster that utilised a number of sports-themed weapons when he heard a commotion out in the corridor. It took him a while to figure out what was happening, since he didn't recognise the voices, but as he arrived, he found Poisandra and Curio, together with a vivik, who was clutching and clinging to the pillow-creature like its life depended on it. He hadn't seen much of Poisandra or Curio in a while; Poisandra was still moping over the loss of Sledge, and didn't take much part in the day-to-day running of things now, something of a blessing as it kept her out of his way.

"Get her off me!" Curio whined, trying and failing miserably to shove the vivik away. "She just won't leave me alone!"

"She?" Heckyl asked, looking curiously. "You can tell?"

"Oh, she wants you to be her boyfriend!" Poisandra said, seeming to delight in the thought. As miserable as she was without Sledge, she seemed to take delight in the thought of someone she knew having happiness with another.

"Well I don't want her!" Curio answered. "Who would want something that looks like...that?"

"Oh, I can fix that." Poisandra said, pulling out a large collection of make-up. "I do all my own make-up as you can tell. MAKE OVER!"

She sang the words "make over" over and over again as she brushed the vivik repeatedly. Before Heckyl's eyes, if it was possible, the creature became even more hideous, gaining a blonde bobbed hairstyle, huge, bright red lips that could best be described as clown-like, and a pink feather boa.

"Wow, I look just like a beautiful girl!" The vivik said, almost bowling Heckyl over. Viviks could talk, but not in any kind of language that anyone seemingly other than the Spike Balls, other viviks and many of the monsters understood. "Call me Beauticruel!"

"It...it talks?" Heckyl asked, completely confused.

"Not only does she talk, she's considerably smarter and more powerful than a standard vivik." Poisandra said proudly, looking to her make-up kit. "My make-overs are legendary."

"Well I'm still not interested." Curio huffed. Beauticruel just scoffed at him.

"Now that I'm THIS gorgeous, I'm out of your league anyway!" She stated, grabbing Poisandra by the hand. "Come on; let's find me a worthy boyfriend!"

As they skipped away, Heckyl just shook his head in disbelief.

"And people call me crazy." He remarked. "At least it'll keep them out my way for a little while."

Back at the museum, the entire staff were assembled before Flash, who had assembled them all ahead of the grand opening. He was grinning brightly, eager to get started on his 'new and improved' museum.

"Alright team, are we all excited?" Flash asked them. He got a few murmurs. "I said, are we all EXCITED?"

There were a few louder answers, but nothing terribly committed. They were just eager to get on with whatever he wanted to do.

"Because that's what we are, we're a team!" He told them. "I don't care if you work in security, if you're on the dig team, or you work the fryers, you are all part of the museum family! That is why; I want you all to look like it!"

He reached into a box, pulling out a t-shirt. It was a hideous green t-shirt, with a logo on the front. It was a T-Rex which was chasing down some cavemen, and seemed to be breathing fire!

"Oh good grief." Kendall muttered, seeing the monstrosity he was holding.

"Um...the T-Rex went extinct millions of years before the first men..."

"Oh, who cares about that, it's branding! We want to stand out! Look fresh and exciting! Get the kids talking!" He said, throwing Shelby a red ball-cap. It had the word 'Roar-some' on the front in large, white letters. "And trust me, this will stand out!"

"It'll certainly do that alright!" Tyler said, forcing a smile. Flash didn't notice the sarcasm at all in his voice. Either that or he didn't care.

"Oh, and in case you doubt me, I thought I'd arrange a little modelling! Come on out Allison!" He declared, clapping as he gestured to the door. Allison came in, and her expression said everything that needed to be said. She was wearing the t-shirt and the ball cap, with her hair tied back. The t-shirt appeared to be at least two sizes too small, incredibly tight on her, and short enough that it didn't quite reach her waist line. It wasn't quite a crop-top, but it did expose a little flesh between the top and her tight, short jean-shorts, which given the fact Allison never wore shorts they presumed were also part of the uniform. The neck line was low...too low for coincidence. "What do you think?"

"I...really have no words!" Kendall said, forcing a smile. The others just stared at the ensemble.

"I have some words." Allison sighed as she pulled off the cap. "Are you freaking kidding me?"

"What? What's wrong with...?"

"This is a museum! Not Hooters!" Allison interrupted him.

"Oh, that reminds me, you might want to think about a new bra." He answered, missing her point completely.

"We work with grills, fryers...things that SPIT HOT OIL!" Allison reminded him. "Do you really think it's a good idea to have us wearing outfits that don't cover more than half our bodies?"

"Sex sells love, just think of all those lovely tips!" He said, taking her ball cap and putting it back on her head. "We have a gorgeous staff here; why not take advantage of that?"

"Why do the guys get full-length jeans and we don't?" Shelby asked as he started handing out uniforms.

"This t-shirt's a little tight." Tyler commented, looking to the t-shirt as he pulled it on. He was feeling a little like he was on display.

"Mine doesn't seem so bad." Henry, the man from the gift shop said, inspecting his baggy t-shirt.

"Glad you like it! That's the spirit!" He said, before moving quickly to Kendall, who was inspecting her uniform, looking completely horrified at the thought of it. "Oh, and you're going to need this."

"A name tag?" She asked him. Kendall had NEVER needed a name tag in the museum! Her picture and name were right by the front door! As she looked to the button, she noticed something else. "Kendall?"

"It's your name isn't it?" He asked her.

"It's Ms..."

"Sorry love, you're floor staff now. All floor staff need name tags, that's the way I roll." He told her. "Now, before you go and get changed, let's get ourselves fired up with a little morning affirmation!"

"Affirmation?" Shelby asked as he got them all to line up. Flash stood before them, beginning to shake out, like he was about to begin a work out.

"Now, when I say who's number one, I want you all to jump in the air, throw your hands up and yell, 'we are!'" He instructed them. "Now, who's number one?"

They all stared blankly at him, trying to decide if he was being serious.

"Alright, let's try that again! Who's number one?"

They all looked to each other, before figuring that he wasn't going to give up on this. Just for the sake of getting to leave and get on with their jobs, they all leapt into the air half-heartedly.

"We are." They called out.

"Oh come on, we can do so much better than that! I want to see the roof shaking! WHO'S NUMBER ONE?" He called out.

"WE ARE!" They all shouted, finally giving up and giving him what he wanted. Flash applauded them as they picked up their uniforms and started to head off to get changed. Kendall saw some men coming in the door, carrying tool boxes.

"Who are they?" She asked.

"Oh, pay no attention to them; they're just doing some renovations around the place." He told her, taking her by the shoulders and turning her around. "Now, go and get changed, we've got some pockets to empty!"

"Is he for real?" Shelby asked her. Kendall just sighed.

"As real as Cholera." She answered.

Over in Alaska, GMa Betty was busy taking shots with her camera, wanting to leave the cave as undisturbed as possible. She had done some excavation on her travels, but she was always more of an explorer than anything else. She knew that her 'Doodlebug' would bring a team that had the appropriate experience and tools to ensure that they didn't harm anything important when they took the treasures of this place for the museum.

"I don't understand. You've come all this way and we aren't going to take anything?" One of the men on the team asked her.

"Only this." Betty assured him, gesturing to the lens which she had wrapped up carefully in blankets. "This place is a real find. We should leave it to the professionals to get this stuff out of here. Wouldn't want to damage something would we?"

"But what if someone else gets here?" Another asked. "This place isn't exactly secure."

"And yet, we're the only ones that have found it in about, oh...a hundred thousand years?" She reminded him. "So the only way anyone's likely to gut this place is if they somehow find out about it in the couple of weeks it'll take me to get my grand-daughter and her team out here. Since all of you have signed a non-disclosure agreement, that isn't very likely now is it?"

This last part silenced him. Information of this place would be valuable to other collectors and teams, valuable enough that they would pay big money! However, as GMa Betty was nothing if not shrewd. They had all indeed signed a non-disclosure agreement when she hired them for her trip. Given how unlikely it was that a cave that had remained undiscovered for millennia would suddenly be found and ransacked, if they got there to find everything missing without help, it wouldn't take much to infer that someone on the team had to have informed them. Betty took the wrapped-up lens, put it into a backpack and hefted it onto her back.

"Come on slow polks! There's a plane out of the airfield in ten hours, and I have every intention of being on it!" She declared.

At the museum, Allison was doing what she could to get through her first shift under the new regime. It was very different from the way Kendall ran things, that was for sure.

"Alright, there's your check." Allison said, putting the check down on a table. She put her fingers under the man's chin as she saw him looking at her, raising his face. "Hey, my face is up here, the check is down here. There's nothing in the middle that's any of your concern."

As she went into the back, Flash came alongside her, putting his arm around her.

"Now, do you really think that's any way to talk to customers?" He asked her.

"When he's only three inches from motor-boating me, you bet it is." Allison stated, gesturing to her t-shirt. "Look, I don't mind a uniform, but can you at least give us t-shirts that don't make us an exhibit that's more interesting than...you know...the EXHIBITS?"

"Hold that thought love." Flash answered as he went to the table she had just finished serving. She watched him talk to them for a moment, before picking up the check and tearing it up. The table all walked away, looking happy, but Allison was boiling inside. He had completely cut her off at the knees in front of them by siding with the creeps. He came back to her. "Look, there's nothing wrong with giving the customers a little something. I'm not saying sell yourselves, but you know, a wink here, a giggle there and before you know it..."

He was interrupted as he heard an alarm. He watched as Tyler, Chase, Riley, Ivan, Shelby and Koda sprinting out of the door.

"What's going on?" He asked. "Where the hell are they going? What's that alarm?"

"That was...um...the hot line!" Allison explained.

"Hot line?" He asked.

"Yeah, people call and provide information on dig sites. When we get a tip, the dig team heads out." She told him.

"What's the hurry?" He asked her.

"Have you seen this place? Amateur palaeontology is an obsession in this town. Everyone with a shovel is out digging this place up all the time." She explained. "When we get an alarm, we might have minutes to get there before everything's gone."

"Does it take all of them?" He asked her.

"You don't have much of a museum if you don't have any exhibits do you?" She asked, rolling her eyes as she went back to work.


	13. Boyfriend Troubles

The team arrived in the middle of a street, tracking down the location of the alarm. However, when they got there, there were curiously few signs of any kind of trouble. There was no one screaming, no one fleeing for their lives, nothing.

"These are definitely the co-ordinates." Riley said, double-checking his Dino Comm to ensure they hadn't taken a wrong turn somewhere.

"Yet, there's not a soul in sight." Ivan remarked, looking around.

"Oh, you're all so unbearably cute!" Beauticruel said as she and some viviks appeared, looking over the Rangers. "I'll spare whichever one of you wants to be my boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?" Riley asked as the team stared at her in sheer confusion over her apparent motive for this attack.

"Since when do viviks talk?" Tyler asked. "Or...you know...wear make-up?"

"Thanks, but...we'll pass." Riley answered as Tyler stepped forward.

"At least if she's only a vivik, this shouldn't take long. I really don't want to be seen in public wearing this any longer than I have to." Tyler stated. "I think I speak for all of us when I say, It's morphin' time!"

Back at the museum, Kendall was walking around, keeping an eye on the museum floor as was her new duty. Anton had given the day-to-day running to Flash, but he had still left her as a floor supervisor, meaning that the exhibits and the tours were still under her control.

She was a little taken aback, when one of the tour guides suddenly stopped still and seemed to be barring the way for the group she was leading.

"Alright, that's the end of your tour; I hope you've all found this educational." The guide said, pointing behind the group. "On your way out, please visit our gift shop...I'm sorry sir, but photography is strictly forbidden..."

"Hey, um...can I have a word?" Kendall asked stepping in and taking the girl by the arm. "Excuse us for a moment."

She took the young girl aside and stared at her.

"What are you doing? That group only came in a few minutes ago. They can't have seen everything by now." Kendall stated. She was waiting for an answer, and when it came, it hit her like a hammer.

"They only paid for the basic tour." She answered. Kendall just face-palmed and sighed.

"I know I'm going to regret asking this, but...what do you mean 'basic tour'?" She asked.

"It's Flash's idea. You pay $5 you get to tour the main entrance lobby floor as far back as here..."

"Wait...$5? People paid that to tour the WHOLE BUILDING!" Kendall told her.

"Yeah, Flash said he wanted to change that up a little, make sure people felt special." She told her. "For $10 you get into the side exhibits, and for $25 you get a full tour, a complete photo package and your choice of one red-level souvenir toy."

"And when did we start banning photography?" Kendall asked her.

"We started banning photography when we started selling photo packages in the gift shop." The girl answered. Just then, Kendall heard some commotion a little way off and saw Flash with some workers gathered around the T-Rex. She knew all about the importance of making money, but there was a difference between driving a profit margin and shamelessness.

"Return to your group." Kendall told her, heading over to where Flash was directing the workmen on the exhibit.

"Yeah, that's it...maybe bring that up a little, position it to look like its' really trying to get down and take a bite!" He told them.

"Um...Flash, can I have a word?" Kendall asked him.

"Of course we can love, what can I do you for?" He chimed in cheerfully. Kendall had to bite her tongue at the greeting. It was bad enough that he had made her wear a name badge and people were calling her 'Kendall' instead of her preferred 'Ms Morgan', but love...she had to restrain herself and remind herself that Flash was now her boss.

"I just had a few concerns about the tours." Kendall began. "I get that you want to make more money, and raising the prices makes sense, but..."

"Your tour prices haven't increased since 2002 love, it's about time you got with the times." Flash interrupted her.

"$5 for a tour that shows people less than half the exhibits? Don't you think that's a little steep?" Kendall asked him. He just smiled.

"If that's all they want to see, who am I to judge? I'd much rather you direct them to the gift shop or the cafe anyway, that's where the money's to be made." He answered. Kendall was about to say something else, when she heard a crash from above her. Looking up, she saw one of the workmen holding a vertebrae, and they were pulling the T-Rex apart. "Wait, what are you doing?"

"Oh, this? We're making it bigger." Flash told her matter-of-factly. "It was looking kind of...you know...unspectacular, and we found some more bones and..."

"You're adding bones to make it bigger?" Kendall asked him. He just nodded. "But...that's what it's supposed to look like! This is a completely authentic and appraised..."

"Yeah, but it's not all that impressive for the king of Dinosaurs is it?" Flash asked her. "I want it to look, big! Mean! The kind of thing that could bite a kid in half or snap the head off a Stegosaurus...in fact...can we find some more teeth?"

"It couldn't! The T-Rex, despite its size didn't have much jaw strength." Kendall informed him. "It had powerful neck muscles, so when it seized its prey, it would shake vigorously. It would kill by breaking the neck or blood loss..."

"Yeah, but...decapitation sounds SO much cooler to an eight year old doesn't it?" He responded. Kendall put her hands on her hips and stared at him defiantly.

"OK, the ridiculous uniforms are one thing. The tour prices going up 500% in a day is another, but now you want us to show exhibits that aren't even accurate?" Kendall demanded. Flash just shrugged.

"Who cares about accuracy?" He asked her.

"THIS IS A MUSEUM!" She yelled at him. "People come here to see things that actually existed! Not make-believe monsters and..."

"Well, here's the thing love, you're not in charge any more. I am." He put down flatly. "So if you have a problem with that, you go and give Anton a call, but I'm not sure it'll do much good. Face it love, you had your chance and you cocked it right up. So if you wouldn't mind, I see some people taking pictures that you should really be telling to buy photos from the gift shop."

Kendall just stormed away, flashing red as she did so. She got to the cafe and knocked a napkin holder flying.

"Good day?" Leanne asked her sarcastically.

"Mocha!" She snapped in response.

"That good huh?" She asked.

"If anyone needs me I'll be in the lab." Kendall told her. "If I stick around up here, I might just say something I'll regret."

As she left, Allison came to Leanne's side.

"Flash?" She asked.

"Big time." Leanne answered.

"Can't you just...you know...bite him or something?" Allison asked her. Leanne just looked at her.

"I've known him for one day and I can't stand him. Do you think I want him living forever?" Leanne asked in response. Allison just nodded.

"Good point." She answered, heading back to work. "Dino Bite Cafe, how may I help you?"

Back at the site of the battle, the Rangers were finding the battle surprisingly difficult. They were used to fighting viviks, but it seemed like this time, they were co-ordinated, and had even managed to spring a pretty good ambush. It seemed that under Beauticruel's leadership, they were able to co-ordinate their attack more successfully.

"I'm getting sick of these faceless freaks." Riley remarked as one of them grabbed him. A little way off, he saw Poisandra skipping into view. "Poisandra? I haven't seen her in ages! I thought maybe she'd..."

"This makes a lot more sense now." Chase agreed.

"Let's paint them with my weak-at-the-knees make up." Poisandra suggested, dipping a brush into some pots. She handed it to Beauticruel. "With that, any boy will be on his knees before you."

"Hello boys!" Beauticruel greeted them as she approached Ivan, Koda and Riley. "See how you like this!"

Painting all of them, they all quickly fell to their knees. Riley struggled to see, feeling light-headed.

"I feel funny." Koda stated.

"It must be this pain." Riley said, looking to a stripe of grey paint on his leg.

"I've drained a little of each of your powers." She confirmed, skipping over to some viviks. "I think I'll give it to you and you and you!"

They watched as in a flash of light, the viviks gained coloured cloaks. Before they knew it, the new super-powered viviks were right on top of them.

"This one have caveman strength!" Koda confirmed as it climbed on top of him and started pounding down into his head.

"The guys aren't kidding around!" Tyler agreed as he was smashed to the floor.

"Poisandra, none of those Rangers seems interested in being my boyfriend!" Beauticruel complained.

"Never mind, at least you've made them weak." Poisandra told her. "They'll pay for what happened to my Sledgeums!"

"But I'm still so lonely!" Beauticruel whined. "You promised!"

"Oh, fine! I'll help you find a boyfriend!" Poisandra sighed. "Viviks, finish them off!"

"They're getting away!" Tyler rushed out.

"I hate to say it, but we might just have lucked out with that one." Chase stated, blasting down the vivik with the gold cape. "With the others weakened, we can use all the luck we can get."

"I hate to agree with you, but you have a point." Shelby answered as she pulled out her Tricera Drill. "That make-up is seriously dangerous."

"Then let's finish these guys off and find them before they get up to any more trouble!" Tyler said as he powered up into T-Rex Supercharge Mode. "This might be overkill, but I doubt Ms Morgan would mind this once."

"Good idea. Ivan, take our chargers!" Riley said as he and Koda handed Ivan their Dino Chargers, letting him load them into his Ptera Sabre. Between the two of them, with a single attack, the remaining viviks were obliterated. Koda, Riley and Ivan all suddenly felt their power returning as the make-up disappeared.

"Make-up go bye bye!" Koda stated.

"But Poisandra and that other vivik got away." Tyler stated. "We've got to find them before they cause any more harm."

"Guys, I'd love to, but I promised I'd meet Allison at the skate park." Chase told them.

"Alright, but the rest of us need to split up and find them!" Tyler said as he headed off in one direction. "See you all back at the museum!"

With that, they all split up in search of the newest threats to the city.

Back at the museum, Leanne came into the lab, finding Kendall working on something. She put a tray down beside her.

"When I didn't see you come back up, I presumed you'd like your lunch down here." Leanne told her. Kendall just shook her head.

"I'm not really that hungry." Kendall told her, continuing to work.

"Ms Morgan, do you mind if I ask you something?" She asked her.

"If it's about Flash, I really can't help." Kendall told her. "He's the director now, and he's made it pretty clear that's not likely to change."

"But Ms Morgan, he's changing EVERYTHING!" Leanne reminded her. "I just had a bunch of kids in the cafe crying because they weren't allowed to see the Zandar exhibit!"

"Anton's made his choice. There's nothing I can do about it!" Kendall told her. "Do you think I like what he's doing to this place? Do you think I like the fact that my new uniform makes me look like..."

"Oh, do NOT get me started on the uniforms!" Leanne told her. "He had another go at me about how pale I am. He's getting someone to give me make-up lessons!"

"Leanne, there's nothing I can do. I've already sent an E-mail to Anton, but other than that, there's really nothing else that we can do." Kendall told her. "It wouldn't be the first time anyone's had to work for a boss they don't like. Do you think I like wearing this outfit either? Do you think I like the fact I just saw him quite literally desecrating a corpse because he thought it didn't look big enough?"

"Ms Morgan, he's going to ruin this place." Leanne told her.

"I can't help you. Anton's made it pretty clear what he thinks of my opinion." Kendall sighed as she went back to work. "Thanks for the lunch."

Leanne just left the lab, feeling the defeat in Kendall. She knew how much Kendall loved the field, how much it all meant to her. To have it taken away from her had to have knocked a lot of the fight out of her. She seemed to have resigned herself to focusing on her duties to the Rangers. Leaving the lab, Leanne had to wonder what would become of the museum if no one was going to fight for it.

Over at a skate park, Allison was riding her board for what felt like the first time in years. She and Chase used to go regularly, but lately it seemed like they all had so many more responsibilities that she just never seemed to have time.

She always loved skating; it was one of the few athletic pursuits she was any good at. While track and field had always bored her out of her skull, and she had never had much interest in baseball or basketball, any time she rode her skateboard, there was a certain freedom she felt that she couldn't explain. Doubts and fears melted away and she was able to pull tricks that defied all her own perceptions of how athletic she was. She rode over to where Chase was setting up a blanket and a picnic basket.

"It's a little hot for hoodies isn't it?" Chase asked, noting the large, baggy hoodie top and jeans she was wearing. Allison just shrugged.

"I didn't really feel like being on display the whole day." She told him. "That uniform doesn't leave a whole lot to the imagination."

"Close your eyes." Chase told her. Allison smiled and did as she was told. Chase reached into the picnic basket, pulling out the model he'd made for her. He held it in front of her. "Here, no open them."

Allison looked to the model, which he had made into a kind of trophy for her. Allison seemed delighted by it, until she read the inscription on the base.

"Allison, I'd face the 'grind' for you." Allison read aloud. Chase couldn't help noticing she wasn't exactly bowled over with enthusiasm.

"What...what is it?" Chase asked her.

"Face the grind?" Allison asked him. "Is that what I am? Part of the grind?"

"Allison, it's a joke. You know...like grinding a rail?" Chase told her.

"Yeah, I get it. I guess...I guess I'm just tired." She told him. "I've had what feels like every creep in town staring down my cleavage all morning."

"Right...well...I guess we can just get to the food then." Chase said, pulling out some sandwiches. He paused for a moment. "No, wait, is everything alright with us? It's just...I thought it was about the coins, but you were saying something the other day about..."

"Chase, what the hell are we doing?" Allison asked him.

"We're having a picnic; we're trying to have a good time." Chase answered.

"No, not that, I mean...I mean us!" Allison said, gesturing between herself and Chase.

"Are you not happy with me?" Chase asked her.

"Three months Chase, THREE MONTHS!" Allison shot back at him. "That's how long you were in New Zealand, and you send all those e-mails every day, but in all those e-mails there wasn't one mention of when you'd be back. Or, you know, IF you'd be coming back."

"Allison, you know I'm crazy about you..."

"Chase, I know you and I have never been one of those couples that needs to live in each other's pockets or be all over each other every minute of the day, but it was THREE MONTHS." She explained. "If you'd not been brought back, if you weren't needed to come back, would you have?"

Chase sat wordlessly for a moment, unable to answer that question. Allison just rolled her eyes.

"That's about what I thought." Allison said, picking up her board.

"Allison, wait!" Chase said, getting up and moving to stop her. "What have I done wrong?"

"That's just it, you haven't done anything." Allison told him. "I love you Chase, but until you can answer that question...maybe it's for the best we don't kid ourselves this thing isn't on its last legs."

"Allison!" Chase called after her as she got on her board and rolled away. He watched her go, wanting nothing more than to go after her, but feeling that it would be fruitless. He had a lot of thinking to do, because until he had an answer for her, then he wasn't likely to make anything any better. He packed up his picnic hamper, beginning to make his way back to the museum.


	14. Beauticruel's New Boyfriend

Beauticruel was following Poisandra, who seemed to be busy looking for something, she just wasn't sure what. Even before her transformation, the vivik was obsessed with finding a partner, but now since her make-over into Beauticruel, her obsession just got stronger. As far as she was concerned, she deserved the very best. Having seen the Rangers in person, she could tell they were the very pinnacle of their species, and she wouldn't settle for anything less. However, despite her promises, Poisandra seemed to be no closer to securing the boyfriend she wanted.

"This is taking too long. Why don't I have a boyfriend yet, like you promised?" Beauticruel whined, stomping her feet in frustration as Poisandra pulled her into some cover. Poisandra turned to her.

"Because, those humans don't want someone that looks like you!" Poisandra said rather bluntly. Beauticruel's shoulders slumped as she heard this. "It's harsh but it's true, they have this really strict idea of what they think is attractive."

"So what am I supposed to do?" Beauticruel sniffled as she tried to take in what Poisandra was telling her.

"You need to look more like..." Poisandra said, before looking around. The pickings were thin on the ground; in fact this whole area was deserted! She was about to give up when she saw someone setting up a video camera on a tripod and walking into a clear area. It was a human girl, one with long, died blonde hair, and a smooth complexion. Whatever she was doing, she didn't seem to want others around to see her, which made her easy pickings. "...Like HER?"

"That's what passes for beautiful here?" Beauticruel asked her a little sceptically. Poisandra took out her make-up.

"Just you grab her, I'll do the rest." She told her.

The girl was just finishing setting up her camera to her specifications, before walking to a safe distance, carrying a large bag. She unzipped it, and pulled out a large board, which she set down on the ground. She took a deep breath.

"New engine propulsion system, field test number one." She said, before Beauticruel grabbed her. "HEY! What are you...MMMMM!"

Beauticruel covered the girl's mouth with her hand to prevent her screaming as Poisandra skipped over in a care-free manner. She dipped her brush into her make-up.

"Time to try some body-transformation make-up! Some for you! And some for...hold still would you? Some for you!" Poisandra sang as she brushed both Beauticruel and the human girl.

The girl fell to her knees, and tried to get her bearings back, but as she tried to get up, she saw her hands were different. They were white...and green...and she had huge, pink bracelets on! Her hands went up to her face, finding that it was not as she remembered it. She started screaming as she looked across and saw her own body standing a few feet away. Beauticruel was inspecting her new body.

"It's different; I'll definitely give you that." Beauticruel said as she checked it out.

"What have you done to me?" The girl screamed at them.

"Oh, I nearly forgot, we don't need you anymore." Poisandra said, grabbing the girl. She dragged her to a nearby dumpster, throwing her inside. "In you go, oh, and take the rest of your things with you!"

After throwing in her camera and her board and bag, Poisandra closed the lid and trapped it shut, locking the girl inside. She returned to Beauticruel who was just getting used to her new body.

"You know, this maybe isn't so bad." Beauticruel said with a huge grin. "I bet I have no problem getting a boyfriend now!"

"Yes, there's one more thing. The Rangers have heard your name now, so we have to change it if we're going to fool them." Poisandra told them. She went into the pocket of Beauticruel's jeans, pulling out the girl's wallet and opened it up, flicking through the contents to find some form of ID. She knew humans usually had something with their name on it in their wallets. "Ah, here we go, your new name is...Sarah Thomson!"

"Sarah, what kind of name is that?" Beauticruel asked her.

"It's the one that matches your ID, now come on!" Poisandra snapped, shoving her along. "We need to find you your Ranger boyfriend!"

Elsewhere, Chase was making his way back to the museum after his date with Allison. With its abrupt end, he was at a bit of a loose end, and with nothing else to do, he defaulted to his usual idea of hanging out at the Dino Lab.

When he got there, most of the others had already arrived back. Most of them were still on shift and so were busy in the museum, but when he got there, Kendall was working in the lab. He let his Energem fly from his hand to the Crystal Bed as he arrived. Kendall, who was reaching for something, straightened up quickly and started cursing loudly.

"Stupid bloody short!" She snapped as she straightened herself out.

"Problems with the new uniform?" Chase asked her.

"They're completely impractical. Denim wedgies are NOT fun!" Kendall yelled at him. Chase just held up his hands.

"OK...Too much information, sorry I asked." Chase said as he backed off. Kendall looked to him.

"I thought you were going out with Allison." She stated. Chase just sighed as he sat down.

"So did I? But...it seems that's not the case anymore." Chase said somewhat morosely. Kendall was continuing to work on her project, but after a long, awkward silence, she eventually relented.

"I know I'm going to regret this, but...what happened?" Kendall asked him.

"I don't know, she just got mad at me." He told her. "I thought things were going fine. We were having fun; I gave her my model, and then...then she starts talking about New Zealand."

"New Zealand?" Kendall asked him. "OK, now I'm lost. What exactly did she say about New Zealand?"

"She just started talking about how much time I'd spent down there and asking what the future was for us." Chase told her. "We never talk about that kind of stuff."

"Well, you were gone for quite a while. It must have gotten Allison wondering where she fits into all this." Kendall told him. Chase just looked to her.

"You're on her side?" He asked her.

"Chase, the last guy I dated has literally tried to kill us dozens of times. Do you really think I'm a relationship expert?" Kendall asked him. Chase just sulked as she gave him this rather unsatisfactory answer.

"We have fun; we get each other, what changed?" Chase asked her. Kendall took a deep breath. She really wasn't too comfortable getting involved in her Rangers' personal lives, particularly in their romances, but right now, it didn't look like she was getting out of this any time soon. She had invited herself in, now she needed to get through to the other side.

"Chase, you know Matt and I really liked each other." Kendall told him, broaching a subject that still stung a little for her. "But one time we just got talking and the subject of the future came up. Unfortunately what we realised is we both wanted very different things."

"So you broke up." Chase surmised. Kendall just nodded wordlessly. It did still sting a little thinking of how the relationship ended, and she had since started to believe that at least one of the reasons she was so drawn to Heckyl and had managed to be blindsided by him so easily was that he was so unlike Matt, and she was trying to distance herself from that. "You think I should break up with her?"

"I really can't make that decision for you." Kendall told him. "But from what you said, it sounds like this has gone beyond just having fun, at least for Allison. If she's starting to wonder about the future, maybe it's time for you to start thinking about what you want for that too."

"But I don't want to hurt her." Chase told her.

"Sadly, there really isn't any way around that." Kendall answered. "If you like her and respect her as much as you say you do, perhaps the one thing you can do for her is to give her a straight answer."

As she left to get back to work, once again having to adjust her shorts and curse them, he got up and headed to the door, retrieving his Energem from the Crystal Bed. He needed to think, and he always did that best when he was out on his board.

In another part of the city, Tyler was busy patrolling, looking for Beauticruel and Poisandra. While the others had since returned to the museum so that Flash didn't get suspicious and start to wonder why half his staff had disappeared, he had opted to keep looking for any signs of the dangerous aliens, hoping to find them and bring them down before they caused any more trouble. He was just coming into a street when he heard someone screaming. A moment later, he saw a young girl running, with Poisandra hot on her heels.

"HEY! Get away from her you pile of mis-matched candy hearts!" Tyler called out as he ran for Poisandra. The alien just let out a shriek.

"I better get out of here!" She screamed as she ran away. Tyler thought this was a little odd, even for Poisandra. While she was completely insane, she was also incredibly powerful and dangerous. He was expecting her to put up at least a little bit of a fight. Before he could question it too much though, the girl threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around him.

"You're my hero!" She whispered in his ear. Tyler could feel something coming over him, and as he stepped away from her, preparing to tell her that she was safe, and that he didn't need her to thank him, his head started to go into a daze.

The girl before him was simply one of the most breathtaking people he had ever seen. His heart raced and he struggled to breathe as he looked at her. His mouth tried to speak, but only nonsense came out as his brain was unable to function and concentrate on anything other than the girl in front of him.

"You're awfully brave." Tyler managed to say as his grasp of the English language finally returned to him. "And pretty!"

Beauticruel lapped up the flattery, seeing the look in the Red Ranger's eyes as he stared at her. She could see he worshipped her the way she wanted someone to.

"Thanks." Beauticruel answered. "And you're so handsome!"

"Ms...um..." Tyler started to say, before something occurred to him. "I'm sorry, I don't know your name."

"Beaut...um...Sarah." She answered, at which Tyler just smiled goofily.

"Sarah, that's a really pretty name." He said in an absent-minded way. "I...I don't know if that monster's gone. You might not be safe yet; I should take you somewhere safe..."

"How about for something to eat?" She suggested. Tyler smiled and nodded vigorously, feeling like he had just won the lottery ten straight weeks in a row!

"I know just the place!" He told her, before a thought occurred to him. "Oh, man, Shelby."

"Shelby? Who's Shelby?" She asked him. Tyler got out his phone and tapped a few keys.

"She's my girlfriend...but not for much longer." He answered, hitting send. "There we go. Now, are you coming m'lady?"

"Whatever you say handsome!" Beauticruel answered, hooking her arm with Tyler's and walking down the street with him.

Back at the museum, Shelby was helping Riley and Leanne in the restaurant. Riley just finished the last of the dishes, racking it away in the unit.

"Thank GOD that is finished!" Riley announced. "Why couldn't you do this? You could do this in seconds!"

"Singling me out because of what I am? That's discrimination Riley!" Leanne teased him. "I never thought of you as a bigot!"

"I'm not a bigot, I'm just saying, it always takes at least a couple of hours to do all the dishes from lunch time." Riley complained. "You know, by the time I've run a sink, done a load, drained the sink when the water gets too dirty, filled it again..."

"That does sound like a lot of work." Flash interrupted him as he arrived.

"Flash...um..." Leanne started to say nervously, backing up. "H...how much did you hear?"

"It takes you a couple of hours to do dishes?" He asked, inspecting the sink. "Hm...I can see why. I'll call my guy, have a new fawcett put in by the end of the week. It'll really cut down that time."

"Um...that would be great, thanks!" Riley said, also a little nervous. Flash put his arm around him and pulled him in close.

"Oh, and about the bigotry thing son? You might want to watch that." He told him. "Asking the women to do the washing up because they're women? You can't do that kind of thing in this day and age. They call that discrimination now."

He slapped Riley so hard on the back, the Green Ranger staggered, before heading out. Allison breathed a sigh of relief.

"That was way too close." She commented.

"Yeah, now he doesn't think I'm an anti-vampire bigot, he just thinks I'm a sexist." Riley grumbled. "That's so much better."

"Hey, people get a little nervous around my kind when they learn about us." Leanne said with a shrug. "Besides, have you seen what he's getting us to wear? I don't think he can really call anyone a sexist."

"Just then, they heard a scream from out in the restaurant. They both ran out to see Shelby clutching her phone.

"What is it?" Riley asked her. "What happened?"

Shelby couldn't say anything, instead just handing her the phone.

"Had fun, but we're done, found someone better, see you?" He said, reading the text message. He looked to Shelby who looked as though she was about to rip someone's head off their shoulders.

"Ouch!" Leanne remarked, seeing the text. "Tyler..."

"He just dumped me BY TEXT MESSAGE!" Shelby screamed.

"This all seems really weird, did he give you any indication..." He backed off as Shelby turned on him, her eyes blazing in fury, brandishing an egg whisk in a threatening manner.

"Shelby, you might want to take a few minutes..."

"Oh, you have GOT to be kidding me!" Shelby snapped as she looked up, seeing Tyler walking into the restaurant, arm-in-arm with another girl. He didn't look like he had a care in the world, certainly he didn't seem to care one bit about the fact he was walking into the restaurant where his girlfriend, who he had dumped via text message only minutes before was working! He walked straight up to the desk.

"I'd like an extra large strawberry milkshake and two straws please." Tyler said, holding up two fingers to indicate the number of straws, before looking at Beauticruel with a vacant grin on his face.

"Tyler, what are you doing?" Leanne asked him.

"I'm ordering a milkshake for my girlfriend!" He answered. "Are you going to get it, or do I have to come around and get it myself?"

"We'll...bring it to your table." Riley said as he tried to hold Shelby back. Tyler just smiled.

"Awesome!" He replied, putting his arm around Beauticruel. "Come on Sarah, let's go find a table."


	15. Make-Over Nightmare

Poisandra and Curio made their way back to the ship, singing gleefully as they made their way back, completely oblivious to Heckyl, who was in the corridor talking to one of his monsters.

"Now, you are a fantastically powerful monster, that much is clear. I can't tell you why you haven't been chosen before now." Heckyl said as the monster stood with his arms crossed defiantly, his weapon, which looked a lot like a fishing rod cradled over his right elbow. "Now don't take the fact I haven't called you as any sign of...HEY! Mind where you're going!"

"Oh, I'm sorry Heckyl, I didn't see you there!" Poisandra chimed in.

"Yes, because I'm so easy to miss." He replied sarcastically. "Where's that hideous thing you made this morning?"

"Oh, Beauticruel? She's just spending time with her new boyfriend, listening to him whispering sweet nothings in her ear no doubt." She answered.

"Really, you found that thing a boyfriend? Didn't she trip over his guide dog?" Heckyl asked her with a scoff.

"Well, it's amazing what a little body-switching make-up can do." Poisandra told her. "I gave her the body of a particularly cute little human, and then a little acting on my part, a little of my lovey-dovey make-up and poof, the Red Ranger is completely head over heels for her!"

"Wait, what did you say?" Heckyl asked her. "You mean to tell me, that all this time, you've had the ability to disguise monsters as other people, to make the Rangers fall in love with them...and you didn't think this was information that would be useful?"

"Well, I...um..."

"Hookbeard, we'll talk about this another time." Heckyl said, gesturing to the door, at which the monster walked away, muttering under his breath. "Now Poisandra, tell me what you've done, so we can take advantage before you find some way to foul this up!"

Over at the museum, Erin walked in, carrying her books with her. Ivan saw her and came to meet her.

"Thank you for coming so promptly." Ivan told her. "I couldn't think of someone better to call."

"Well, hey, I know my bestie better than anyone. It's probably the best way to avoid bloodshed." She answered. "I remember when Ricky Mattis dumped her; she knocked out his front teeth."

"She knocked out a boy's teeth?" Ivan asked.

"To be fair, we were all in kindergarten and they were only milk teeth, but still." Erin answered. "Where is she?"

"She's in the cafe." Ivan told her. "As is Tyler and his new lady friend."

"He brought his new girlfriend here?" Erin asked him. "Classy! Alright, I'll go and talk Shelby down. Could you get us some lime smoothies?"

"Anything the lady wishes." Ivan said as he started to walk away. "Lime? Bleuuuch!"

Erin made her way over to the counter, where Koda and Riley were standing with Shelby, watching Tyler on his date with a girl that she presumed was his new girlfriend. While they seemed to be finding it hard to believe, Shelby's face was just one of disgust. Erin came and sat down.

"I just love the way you slurp." Tyler said dreamily as Beauticruel demolished the strawberry shake that was meant to be for both of them.

"Really?" Shelby asked, her disgust obvious in her tone. "They just met!"

"She's totally nothing special, not a patch on you." Erin said, taking her seat. "If you ask me, he has seriously down-graded. You dodged a bullet if that's the kind of guy he is. Would you guys mind watching my bag? I need to use the ladies' room."

As she got up to leave, Koda took out his cell phone and started dialling. Riley noticed this.

"Koda, what are you doing?" He asked.

"Call Alessandra. Today seem cursed for love." Koda stated. Riley just screwed up his face.

"Cursed?" He asked him.

"Chase and Allison break up, Tyler and Shelby break up, no want Alessandra break up with me." Koda answered. Riley was about to answer, but he did seem to be thinking about something.

"You know...some odd things HAVE been happening today." Riley agreed. "What do you think Shelby?"

He noticed she was gone.

"Shelby?" He asked again. It was only then he saw her walking over to Tyler's table with another milkshake. "Oh no, Shelby!"

"Wow, you really do have quite the appetite." Shelby stated. "Here's that other milkshake you ordered!"

With that, she tried to put it down, but as she wasn't paying attention, she dropped it from a great height, where it burst open on the table, spraying Beauticruel.

"Shelby, you did that on purpose!" Tyler yelled at her. "Just because you can't deal with being dumped, don't take it out on her! Come on Sarah!"

With that, Tyler took Beauticruel by the hand and escorted her from the restaurant. As they left, Koda put his cell phone away, pointing at Tyler.

"What that on Tyler's back?" He asked. "It look like paint. Like...from monster earlier!"

"A little, but ours was different. Ours was grey." Riley reminded him. "That seems to be more...candy-heart pink."

"You know who wears a lot of that colour?" Shelby said, mulling this thought over. "That love-sick lunatic Poisandra! I'll bet that's what happened to Tyler!"

Just then, their Dino Comms bleeped, signalling an alert. Shelby answered it.

"Ms Morgan, what is it?" She asked.

"I'm getting some alien bio-signs from near the observatory. I need you to check it out." Kendall told them.

"But we think Tyler..."

"Whatever's happening with Tyler will have to wait. This monster seems powerful." Kendall told them. "But strangely...it's not moving or doing much of anything. It seems to just be standing there doing nothing."

"I'm in the area. I can be there in a few seconds." Chase told her.

"We'll join you as soon as we can." Riley answered. "Come on guys, let's get out there."

They ran out of the restaurant, heading for the observatory, moments before Erin returned from the bathroom. Looking around, she couldn't see any sign of her friends. Ivan was just coming back from the smoothie machine with her drink.

"Where'd everybody go?" She asked him.

"Given the mess, I think it's fair to say something transpired that we probably are lucky we weren't around for." Ivan surmised, beginning to clean up.

"So...I guess it's just us then." Erin answered. Ivan smiled.

"Yes, it does appear that way." He replied as he started to wipe up the mess on the table. Erin took a sip of her smoothie.

"So tell me Ivan, what are the girls like in Zandar?" She asked him, playing with her straw, mixing up the drink as she looked to the Gold Ranger, bending over to pick up the cup from the floor.

Over at the observatory, Chase was looking around for any signs of a monster, but he couldn't find it. In fact, he couldn't see signs of anyone. The observatory was closed, and it wasn't the most popular place to begin with. He had been up here skating a few times because it offered a lot of privacy for him to practice new tricks without the embarrassment of everyone seeing him bail a few dozen times until he got it right.

"Hello! Is anyone there?" He heard someone screaming, and he heard some banging too. He tried to locate the noise, only to find a dumpster with the lid trapped shut. He could see the lid moving as someone banged on it from the inside. "Somebody help me!"

"Don't worry; I'm coming to help you!" Chase said, heading over and moving the latch, throwing open the dumpster lid. The monster inside burst out, startling him. It was covered in garbage, but it was still recognisable as the monster they'd faced earlier. Chase staggered back and pulled out his blaster.

"Thought you'd get the drop on me did you?" He yelled at it. The monster just seemed to start flailing its arms, holding up its hands in submission.

"No, no, please, don't shoot! I know how this looks!" She rushed out, waving frantically as she stumbled to get out of the dumpster. She fell in an ungainly manner onto the ground, together with a pile of trash and some of her belongings. "This isn't really me! I was out here shooting a video, and then some pink freak switched my body with this monster's!"

"Making a video?" Chase asked her sceptically. "Why should I believe you?"

"Who throws out a perfectly good video camera?" She asked, showing him the camera. "My name's Sarah, Sarah Thomson and I was..."

Chase picked up the board and inspected it, recognising the name and the board.

"Sarah Thomson, you're the girl that made those YouTube videos claiming to have invented a hoverboard!" Chase stated.

"Yes, yes, that's me. I was just working on a new propulsion system that makes it go even faster..."

"Prove it then." Chase told her, throwing her the board. "Unless all your videos are as fake as..."

"Fake? Wait; are you that Kiwi jerk who keeps trolling my videos?" She demanded.

"Just get on with it!" Chase told her. Sarah turned on the board and threw it down. It stopped before hitting the ground, hovering a little way above the ground. She stepped up onto the board and started zooming around in a figure-of-eight pattern, before coming to a stop. Chase's mouth just hung open in shock.

"So, are my videos the 'fakest videos ever'?" She asked.

"Alright, how do you do that? There has to be a trick to it." Chase stated. At that point his friends arrived.

"Chase, what's going on?" Shelby asked as they had weapons levelled at her. "Why aren't you...?"

"Don't shoot! I know this looks weird, but this isn't the monster!" Chase told them. "She said..."

"Some Pink Freak switched my body with this thing!" Sarah whined. "It's a shame too, because pink is my favourite colour and..."

"Wait, what's your name?" Shelby asked her.

"Sarah." She answered. They all looked at each other.

"That girl Tyler was with, her name was Sarah." Riley recalled.

"Only because she took my identity!" Sarah screeched. "Now, what am I going to do about this? I don't want to look like this for the rest of my life!"

"We...um...have friends. Friends that can help." Riley told her. "Now, I know this sounds weird, but, we can take you somewhere you can get help, but we'll need to blindfold you first."

"Blindfold? Blindfold what?" Chase asked. "These things don't have eyes."

"Just help me with this." Riley said, getting a blanket out of their car. "You don't mind do you?"

"If it gets me my body back, not at all!" Sarah replied as they bundled her in the blankets, before escorting her to the car to take her back to the lab. Riley got on his communicator to relay what had happened to Kendall while the others got Sarah into the back of the car.

A little while later, they were all back at the lab. Kendall had summoned the whole team, and even called in Phillipe, since they weren't sure how much firepower they were going to need once they got this straightened out.

"Alright, everyone's clear, colours and helmets only." She said. "Alright, here we go."

She pulled off the blanket, at which Sarah could finally see where she was. She was in a cave somewhere under the city, with the Dino Charge Rangers all arranged around her. They were all morphed to protect their identities.

"Wow, when those others said they had friends, I didn't know they meant the Rangers!" Sarah squealed in delight.

"Well, that's a new look." Phillipe said as he observed her. "Are we certain this isn't...?"

"Oh my GOD, look at this lab!" She screeched as she ran over to one of the workbenches. "This computer system is so BOSS! I haven't seen anything like...99% of this isn't available on any market! Most think its just theory!"

"Well, we do try to..."

"Is this an energy transmuter?" She said rapidly, going across to the other equipment. "And is this a..."

"Well, I think we can safely say that it's not a monster." Riley chuckled. "Though it seems this Sarah is more than a little bit of a science dork."

"And if Green can say that, that's saying something." Chase teased him, making sure to use his colour instead of his name. Kendall grabbed the girl and took her back to a seat, sitting her down.

"Alright Sarah, try to calm down. We're going to do everything we can to switch you back." Kendall assured her.

"But...but...how many times in my life am I going to be in a real-life Ranger base?" She asked them. "Come on, can't I see some more of the gadgets?"

"Well, unless we want Sarah to be stuck like this, I think we have to switch her back before we destroy this Beauticruel." Phillipe surmised. "The question is, how?"

"How can we? We don't know how it was done in the first place." Riley answered.

"She did it with some freaky make-up if that helps." Sarah told them.

"Right, the make-up, so the effects are magical." Kendall stated. "Since none of us are wizards..."

"Wait, wizards are real? I KNEW IT!" Sarah squealed excitedly. "Is it like Harry Potter? I went on Pottermore once and it told me I was a Ravenclaw, but I totally think I'm a Hufflepuff..."

"Can you let us think for a minute? I promise we'll explain more later." Riley told her. "Since we can't switch her back ourselves, I guess the only way is to get Beauticruel to want to switch back."

"How do we do that?" Chase asked.

"We need someone that can sweet-talk her into doing anything he asks." Shelby said with a little smirk.

"I know only one guy that can sweet-talk girls like that." Riley added as they looked to Chase.

"Whoa no, not me! I am not doing that!" Chase told them. "I have a girlfriend..."

"That you broke up with." Kendall reminded him.

"SHE broke up with me!" Chase corrected her.

"But you were always so smooth with the ladies." Riley stated.

"Are you kidding? Did you see my track record? The only girl that could put up with my bullshit for more than a few minutes was Allison!" He rushed out in response. "In fact, I never even did anything to pick her up, she asked ME out! She..."

His words tailed off as he thought about her.

"I...I let her go." Chase said morosely. "She was the best thing that ever happened to me, and I couldn't even..."

He wandered off, leaving the others to their thoughts. Ivan let out a small cough.

"You know, he's not the only dashing young man with an accent on the team." Ivan reminded them. "I also did have something of a way with the ladies. On the jousting tour, I ended up with more than a few favours if you catch my drift."

"I guess that could work." Riley answered, shrugging his shoulders. "We'll use the Dino Comms to find Tyl...um...Red. Gold, you just get ready to do your thing."

"Favours?" Shelby asked as they left. "I hope you're not thinking of Erin like that."

"So...do you Rangers spend like, all your time in your base talking about your personal problems?" Sarah asked as they left. Kendall sighed.

"You have no idea." She responded.

In another part of the lab, Chase was moping over his epiphany. He had taken Allison for granted. It never occurred to him before how lucky he was that such an amazing girl literally just landed at his feet. When they first met, he couldn't get over how much they had in common. Neither of them was particularly ambitious about a career. They both loved skateboarding and would happily spend all day doing nothing but boarding if they could, and while she was from Australia, and he was from New Zealand, they both loved America, while still being fiercely proud of their national heritage and their background.

Over time though, he got to see how much more to her there was to love. She was smart, and when she stumbled onto his secret, far from running for her life, she had gone out of her way to do everything she could to help the team in any way she could.

Yet, in the end, he had repaid her by not even being able to answer her a simple question. Were they just having fun, or was this something that he could see lasting the long haul? Was this more than just enjoying each other's company in the here and now? He looked up as Phillipe approached him.

"We've revised the plan. Ivan's going to play the cassanova." Phillipe told him. Chase just nodded.

"Thanks mate." He answered.

"We're going to ensure the plan goes off without a hitch." Phillipe told him. "They have a nasty habit of doing that, especially when people's hearts are involved."

"Hearts? I thought this was all caused by a spell..." Chase suddenly realised Phillipe was no longer talking about the plan to get Sarah back into her own body.

"Chase, I can't say whether what you have with Allison is the real thing, only you can. All I can say is, it's unfortunate when we find that out only when we face losing it." Phillipe told him. "I'm grateful for what I have with Margaret now, but knowing that it was her diagnosis, the thought of her being taken from me that made me realise what she meant to me, all I can do now is think about all those years I wasted that I could have been with her."

"You landed on your feet there." Chase said, before recoiling. "I...I didn't mean..."

"Don't worry about it. I know what you mean. It took me a while to get used to it too. Margaret used to make jokes about her foot all the time. I asked her to stop, but now...now I couldn't imagine her doing anything else." He told him. "Which is why, there's a very special favour I want to ask you."

"What's that?" Chase asked him.

"I'll tell you later." Phillipe answered as he helped Chase up. "In the meantime, let's go set our honey trap."


	16. Beauty CRUEL

The Rangers made their way to the park, following the signal from Tyler's Dino Comm. Now that they knew what was going on, that he was under a spell, now that they knew that the girl he was with was really the monster they had fought earlier, they were eager to see an end to her.

Of course, it wasn't as simple as just destroying the monster. As usual, Poisandra's twisted mind had left them with a situation that was far more complicated than that. With Beauticruel now in Sarah's body, anything they did to her would only harm Sarah's body. They knew that potentially, if they were forced, they might have no choice but to destroy her, but that would leave Sarah trapped forever in Beauticruel's body.

They found Tyler with Beauticruel, having a picnic in the park. He was just staring dreamily at her as she talked with him, touching him. Shelby could feel her blood boiling every time she put her hands on Tyler.

"Alright, there she is." Riley said as they took up position in some bushes. He opened a bag, which held some equipment. Some lengths of rope, some duct tape, cable ties, even some handcuffs. Chase picked up the set of handcuffs.

"Where did you get this stuff?" He asked.

"Ms Morgan gave it to me." Riley answered. "Please don't ask, I really don't want to think too deeply about it."

"Alright Ivan, are you ready?" Chase asked him. The Gold Ranger pulled off his coat, and started to fix his hair.

"Please, I was born ready." Ivan assured them. "Let me show you how things were in my day."

"Alright, so you remember what you have to do?" Shelby asked him.

"Insert myself, get Tyler over here, and then woo the lady." Ivan relayed the plan. "Alright, prepare yourselves."

As he left, Shelby just shook her head.

"He's kind of full of himself." She commented. "I don't know what Erin sees in him."

"Different people like different things." Riley reminded her. "I just hope Beauticruel goes for all that medieval stuff."

On the blanket a little way off, Beauticruel was talking with Tyler, trying to accelerate her plan. Now that she knew she had Tyler under her spell, it only remained to retrieve his Energem. She reached into his shirt, pulling it out and looking at it.

"This thing is just gorgeous." She told him. "It would make just a perfect promise ring!"

"Oh, anything for you Sarah." He said with a gooey look in his eyes. Ivan took this opportunity and knelt down right in between Tyler and Beauticruel.

"Why Tyler, you sly dog, you never told me you met such a beautiful young maiden." Ivan said, gently brushing Tyler away a little. He took Beauticruel's hand. "Be still my beating heart, for in truth I can say I have never in all my years seen such a wondrous and graceful creature."

"Oh, how sweet!" Beauticruel said, beginning to grow bashful. "I'm Beu...um...Sarah."

"Sarah, why Aphrodite herself could never craft such a perfect name for such a perfect angel." Ivan responded. Tyler grabbed Ivan, dragging him to his feet with a look of pure anger in his face.

"Dude, back off! I saw her first!" Tyler yelled at him. Ivan just grabbed Tyler and threw him into the bushes where their friends were waiting. Tyler was suddenly held fast, a hand clamped over his mouth to prevent him calling out.

"Tyler, give it up." Chase told him. "We're not letting you..."

Suddenly there was a blur, and Tyler went limp, slumping down in Chase and Koda's grip, a large lump beginning to grow on the back of his head. Shelby was standing behind him, holding her Dino Blaster, looking as guilty as sin.

"SHELBY!" Riley protested, showing her a rag and a bottle of liquid. "Ms Morgan gave me some chloroform!"

"Oh." She said with an innocent smirk on her face. "Oops, my bad."

"Let's just get him restrained and get him out of here." Chase stated. "Let's just hope Ivan has as much game as he claims he does."

Back on the ship, Poisandra was watching this all unfolding, seeing the Gold Ranger and Beauticruel going on a walk together around some of Amber Beach's many beauty spots.

"What is she doing? She painted the Red one!" Poisandra screeched. Heckyl, who was also watching just sighed as he saw her throwing a tantrum. "I did everything I could to help her get the Red Ranger, and now she's skipping through the tulips with the Gold Ranger? GAAAHHHHH!"

"I don't care if she's with the Red Ranger, or the Gold Ranger...hell, I don't care if she's with the Pink Ranger! As long as when she gets me an Energem, she proves her loyalty and destroys her partner." Heckyl told Poisandra coldly. "It's time your little pet project learns that love hurts!"

Back at the Dino Lab, Chase and Koda held Tyler down to a bench as he struggled to get free, strapping him down. Kendall came over with an air syringe.

"Why do I get the feeling I'm glad he's gagged?" Chase asked as he struggled to keep Tyler down, having to tighten the straps holding him. Tyler was a strong guy to begin with, and the Energem only made him stronger. Kendall pressed the air syringe into his neck, at which he started to settle into the bench.

"I just loaded him up with enough sedative to put an elephant into a coma." She told him. "That should probably buy us about half an hour or so. Riley, Shelby, how are things going there?"

"It's...educational." Riley said as he watched Ivan put the moves on Beauticruel. "I don't think his bragging was all talk about how much of a ladies' man he was back in the day."

"Really? Are we watching the same thing?" Shelby asked him. Ivan was just walking by the edge of a lake with her.

"Do you know what I love about you Sarah? It's the fact that you're just so...how can I put this? In a world that at times seems like but a portrait painted as a mere facsimile of true beauty, you are just so...real."

"Real? Really? WOW!" Beauticruel giggled as she heard this. Ivan held her hands in his own, looking to her deeply.

"But...alas...for all your beauty..."

"What? What is it?" Beauticruel asked him. He just ran a hand through her hair.

"As wondrous as your beautiful locks are, I must admit, I have something of a fondness for bright blonde hair...shorter...I believe they call it a bob."

"Really? You...prefer blondes?" She asked, checking out her new hair. While Sarah did dye her hair, it was not a natural shade, and it was more streaky, making it obvious it wasn't a natural shade. Her hair was also long, falling past her shoulders, down her back. Beauticruel looked to Ivan, seeing a note of disappointment in his eyes. He said nothing for some time, a long, agonising couple of minutes. Was he re-thinking his decision to go out with her? He smiled.

"No matter. What in life is perfect?" He asked her. They walked on a little bit, with Riley and Shelby following on, keeping a watchful eye.

Ivan took Beauticruel next to a man who was selling bouquets of flowers.

"I would like a bouquet of your finest roses." Ivan told the man. Beauticruel couldn't believe her luck, seeing the way he was fawning over her. He handed her over the bouquet.

"Roses, perhaps the only thing in the world that could compare to the beauty of a fine woman such as yourself." Ivan told her. "I must say I find the radiant red always makes my heart race, thinking of the allure of the red...ah..."

"What? What is it?" Beauticruel asked him.

"I...normally show more of a preference for bright red lips." He told her. Beauticruel's hand strayed to her mouth. Sarah wasn't really wearing much in the way of make-up, she had a lip balm of sorts, but not any real kind of noticeable lipstick. She was more concerned with her lips getting chapped while riding her hover board at high speed than how her lips looked.

"Bright red lips?" She asked him. Ivan smiled.

"The bigger the better." He told her, drawing closer, bringing his body right up next to hers. He leant in, his lips almost coming into contact with hers. "All the better for..."

"I...I've got to go!" She told him, baking up quickly.

"I'm sorry?" Ivan asked her.

"I've just got to...go get something!" She rushed out, thinking about everything he had told her. He was telling her the kind of girl he liked...the kind of girl she had been all along! If he liked her now, when she didn't look like the kind of girl he wanted, if he'd fallen for her now, if she got her old body back, he'd be putty in her hands! "Don't go anywhere; I'll be right back boyfriend!"

"My heard shall break every minute until you return!" Ivan said as she ran away. In the bushes, Shelby was imitating retching at his lines. As Beauticruel ran away, he smiled and pulled out his communicator. "Ms Morgan, the plan has worked perfectly! Now it's time for your part!"

Over at the observatory, Kendall and the others arrived, stopping the car a little way from the dumpster. Sarah was once more wrapped up in the blanket to ensure she couldn't see where she had been. They had Tyler restrained in the trunk.

"Come on, please?" Sarah begged.

"No." Kendall told her.

"Oh come on, I won't tell anyone!" She begged desperately. "I saw a whole bunch of your tech that..."

"We only took you to our lab while we figured out what to do." Kendall told her. "Our tech is far too important..."

"But I know I could help with a bunch of it! I'm really good with that kind of stuff!" Sarah told them. "I made that board in my parents' garage! With the stuff you have there, I know I can..."

"Sarah, the best thing you can do to help us is just go along with the plan and keep yourself safe." Chase told her. "Besides, now I know that board works, maybe you can work on making it ready for the market."

"Alright, we're here." Phillipe announced. "Sarah, I'm very sorry about this, but that monster will be expecting to find you where she left you. That means..."

"I know, I know...back in the dumpster." She grumbled. "Can you at least leave the blanket? I've already been in that dumpster once..."

"Sure thing." Chase told her. The others all glared at him. "What? It's my blanket!"

"Alright, fine." Kendall sighed. "Black, Graphite, you two put Sarah back in the dumpster and join us. We'll find somewhere to take cover."

"What about Ty...um...Red?" Chase asked her.

"He's sedated; he should be fine for a little while yet." Kendall told them. "After that...it'll take him a while to figure out how to get out of the trunk."

Beauticruel ran though the city, thankful that the human body she had taken appeared to be a healthy one at least. She had ended up at least a couple of miles from the observatory by the time she had realised she needed her own body back. She could only hope that her body was still there.

Arriving at the observatory, she found the dumpster, and ran over to it. She breathed a sigh of relief as she heard some knocking and screams from inside. She grabbed the latch, throwing it open and reached inside.

"Get out here you!" She yelled, grabbing Sarah and yanking her out of the dumpster. She landed in a crumpled heap on the ground. "You have something I need!"

"I have...what else do I have?" Sarah asked her.

"It turns out my scrumptious Gold Ranger has a particular type. I'm going to need my body back." Beauticruel told her, pulling out the make-up. "Now, hold still, which one of these did Poisandra use again?"

Over in their vantage point, Chase pulled out his blaster and started lining up his shot.

"Hold your fire Chase; we need to wait until Beauticruel switches their bodies back." Kendall reminded him. "We can't risk hitting Sarah."

"Hey, you're talking to the Hot Shot, remember?" Chase asked in response. "I've got everything lined up, I just need the signal."

"Ah, I think this was the one." Beauticruel said, finally finding the make-up she was looking for. "Now, some for you, and some for me!"

The Rangers watched as there was a flash of energy, transferring between the two of them. As the light dissipated, they all waited a moment. There was an agonising wait as they could only hope their plan had worked.

"YES! I'm back in my own body!" Sarah screamed, pumping her fist in the air.

"What? Who are you talking to?" Beauticruel asked. Sarah threw down her hoverboard and leapt onto it, at which it started to levitate. "Chase, do it now!"

She threw the make-up board, which was still in her own hand into the air. Chase fired the shot, destroying the make-up in a puff of smoke. Sarah shot over to where the Rangers were coming into the open.

"Gold Ranger, darling, you're here!" Beauticruel announced. "I'm now your dream girl, just the way you always wanted."

"Milady, your offer is about as appealing as cleaning out the Prince's outhouse after a banquet." Ivan told her. "If you believe that I would be interested in a crone such as yourself, then you truly are as dull as you are hideous."

"Dude...she might be a monster but that's just cold." Chase said as he saw her shoulders slumping down. She put her hands over her face, which he didn't really understand as she didn't have eyes. He was a little curious as to how exactly a vivik would cry.

"It's a vivik!" Ivan reminded him.

"Yeah, but still...dude!" Riley added.

"Yeah, even I kind of feel bad for her." Shelby agreed. Suddenly, they were all knocked to the ground by a power blast.

"NONE of the men on this planet deserve me!" She screamed in anguish. "I'm going to vapourise this whole stinking planet and all the vile, stinking men in it!"

"Still feeling sorry for her?" Ivan asked as he got to his feet, loading three Dino Chargers into his Ptera Sabre. "Final STRIKE!"

"Can't we even just be friends?" Beauticruel whined as she fell backwards, exploding on the ground. Ivan just rested his Ptera Sabre over his shoulders.

"That, good lady, is never going to happen." Ivan stated. "Monster Vanquished."

"Guys, that was so AWESOME!" Sarah screeched as she zoomed over to them on her hoverboard. "It was all action and she was all like...wow, just wow! I finally saw a Ranger battle up close!"

"Wait, you're still here?" Riley asked. "Guys, she's still..."

"Oh my God, that is just the coolest thing I have EVER seen!" Sarah continued to babble excitedly. "Man, no one as school is ever going to believe I was in a Ranger battle! Oh my god, this is awesome..."

"You're welcome for the rescue by the way." Shelby reminded her. Sarah just smiled and stared bouncing giddily on the spot.

"What are we doing now? Can I take some pictures? Oh...can I PLEASE get some..."

"Sarah, you should probably get out of here." Riley suggested as he saw the Magna Beam hit the ground. "Things are about to get a whole lot more wild."

"Oh...um...alright." Sarah stammered. "Um...can't I at least stay and watch the Zord battle? Oh...can I PLEASE get to ride in a Zord? I've always wanted to ride in a Zord...!"

"Get out of here Sarah!" They all called out. Sarah just looked disappointed.

"OK, OK, I can take a hint." She said somewhat dejectedly. "Good luck guys!"

With that, she rocketed off on her hoverboard, leaving the Rangers to summon the Zords.

Back at the ship, Heckyl watched the screen as the Zord battle came to its conclusion. He backed away from the screen wordlessly as Poisandra cowered in the corner.

"Poisandra...what exactly was that?" He asked her. "I thought you said your monster would capture the Rangers' heart!"

"She...she did! But she was going for the wrong one!" Poisandra complained. "She already painted the Red one, why she went for that Gold one is completely..."

Her words tailed off as Heckyl started to power up his hand. She ran shrieking from the room, just as he fired off his blast, wrecking some equipment where she had been standing. He turned back to the screen.

"At least all she cost me was a vivik." He commented, going to his prisoner logs. "Now, who sounds promising?"

Later that night, Chase was waiting by the skate park, impatiently checking his watch. He was fidgeting nervously as he waited. Every second felt like hours, and he was worried that she wasn't going to show up. He had sent Allison a message asking her to meet him. He pulled out his phone, checking to make sure it was on and that he hadn't missed an answer. A moment later, he saw Allison coming round the corner.

"I got your message." Allison told him. "I got all twelve of them."

"Allison, thank you SO much for coming!" He said, coming over to her.

"Chase, what do you want?" She asked him.

"Allison, please, I really want to talk. That's all, I just want to talk." Chase told her. "But...do you mind if we move this inside? It's a little draughty."

"Whatever." She muttered as he took her into a corridor out of the wind. He put his arm around her, but she shrugged it off.

"Look, Allison, I know I've been an idiot. It's kind of my MO...I'm really not a smart guy." He told her as they walked.

"Chase, if this is all you have to say..."

"Allison, can you please just hear me out?" Chase asked her. "Look, when I went home to New Zealand, I'll admit, it felt great being back. I was back in a place I knew, around a lot of people I know. It was great seeing my family again..."

"I get that Chase, I really do." Allison told him. "That's why I think I know what this is, and if it is...can you just say it and let me go?"

"Allison, that is exactly the LAST thing I want." Chase told her, taking her hands. "Allison, you told me you love me."

"I do." Allison answered. "And while what we had was great and it was fun...I can't help thinking that maybe there comes a time where that's not going to be enough."

"I couldn't agree more." Chase answered. "We're here."

"We're...where?" She asked. Chase pulled out a key, and turned to a door. Turning the key, he opened it. Allison just looked confused.

"What...what is this?" She asked him.

"This would be...about 90% of what I earn from the museum. It's not much, but it's all I can afford." Chase told her. "It's my place...and I would very much like it to be our place."

"O...o...our place?" Allison stammered, looking like she had been hit by a truck. Chase took her hands in hers and held them close to his chest, looking into her eyes.

"Allison, I wasn't fair to you, I know that. But almost losing you, seeing what my life would be like without you, I could only think of one thing. I don't know where my future lies, but there's only one thing I know for sure." He told her, reaching to her face and cradling it softly. "Wherever I go, whatever happens, I don't see my future without you in it. I love you."

"You want me to move in with you? Like...right now?" She asked him.

"Well...you might want to go home and get some bags, maybe come back in a day or so." Chase told her. "Plus, it's kind of a shit hole; I really couldn't afford much on my salary..."

Allison threw herself into his arms, pressing her lips to his. They kissed passionately for a moment, before she parted from him.

"I don't care if it's a shit hole, as long as it's our shit hole." She answered. "So...are you going to show me around?"

"My lady, it would be my pleasure." Chase answered, showing her inside and closing the door behind them.


	17. Change In A Flash

The following day, there was a bit of a buzz around the museum. Even the somewhat questionable new regime of the new director couldn't dampen the mood. Summer was on the way, the days were getting warmer, and there was some exciting news in the works.

"He asked you to move in with him?" Leanne shrieked as Allison told them her news. Chase had his arm around her, and was there for the announcement, but after all the drama lately, he decided to let Allison be the one to tell them their news. Allison just nodded excitedly.

"I've already started packing. I'm moving this weekend." She told them.

"Wow, you are a dark horse!" Tyler said with a smile. "Didn't you think it'd have been nice to tell us we were losing a roommate?"

"I figured after all those months of four of us shoe-horned into a two bedroom apartment, you'd be glad to see the back of me." Chase chuckled. "Not to mention you won't have to keep complaining about all my roommate fouls."

"I know I for one will like not pulling a carton of milk out of the fridge only to find it empty." Riley agreed.

"Nor finding your undergarments everywhere BUT the laundry hamper." Ivan added.

"Oh, not to mention never being able to find the TV remote." Tyler pitched in.

"Guys, come on, don't go scaring her off, I only just got the lease!" Chase told them. "Not to mention that by myself the rent cleans out about 90% of my salary, so eating's going to be kind of a luxury..."

"Oh, don't worry, I know some of my habits aren't the most appealing to those I live with." Allison told him.

"I sincerely doubt anything you do would turn me off the idea of living with you." Chase said as he pulled her in, kissing her softly.

"OK, the two of you definitely deserve each other." Shelby remarked. Just then, they heard a loud crash. All of them turned to look the direction of the noise.

"What was that?" Shelby asked.

"I don't know." Kendall said, looking curious. "But it doesn't sound good."

As they all got closer, they heard some raised voices. In fact, they heard yelling and screaming from a good fifty or more feet away it was so loud! By the time they got to the main entrance, they could see a lot of other staff and museum guests gathering around near the gift shop. Flash was taking shelter behind his brief case as Harold, the man who ran the gift shop, threw various items of his stock at him. As he threw a snow globe, which shattered on Flash's briefcase, sending glass shards flying in all directions, Koda moved quickly to grab him and stop him while Ivan checked on Flash. As Koda struggled to hold the old man, his face was flashing red.

"What the devil is going on here?" Ivan demanded to know as they tried to restore some order.

"It's alright folks, the show's over, everything's under control." Kendall announced, trying to disperse the crowd. Flash started to straighten out his suit. He reached a hand up, noticing that a piece of flying glass had caused a small cut to open up on his head.

"OK, now we've got rid of the audience, what happened here?" Shelby asked again.

"This psycho assaulted me!" Flash told them. "You all saw it!"

"This prick just fired me!" Harold yelled, pointing at Flash, struggling to get out of Koda's grip.

"Well, under the circumstances..."

"He fired me BEFORE I started throwing things!" Harold clarified. The team all turned to look at Flash.

"You fired Harold?" Shelby asked him.

"He's doing a crappy job!" Flash stated. "The place is always a mess! Half the light bulbs are blown..."

"You can't just fire people!" Harold interrupted him. "I get three written warnings..."

"You've exhausted them already!" Flash told him. "I've already issued you with your final written warning."

"I haven't received one letter..."

"I e-mailed the warnings to you." Flash told him. Harold threw his hands up in the air.

"I DON'T HAVE AN E-MAIL ADDRESS!" Harold yelled at him. Flash started dabbing his cut with a handkerchief.

"I issued everyone in the museum with an e-mail address, the notice was posted in the staff room." Flash said with a satisfied look on his face. "It's not my fault you don't check your messages, now escort him out of my museum before I call the cops and have him arrested."

"I've...I've worked here 23 years." Harold murmured.

"Exactly, past tense, worked." Flash sneered. "Drag his arse out of here."

Koda just looked to the old man. Everyone liked Harold, he had been at the museum longer than anyone. He didn't want to drag the old man out like a criminal. Harold just straightened out his uniform and held his chin up, before walking out with Koda a couple of paces behind.

"No need to return the uniform! Just don't come back!" Flash yelled after him. He looked to the staff who were still completely in shock seeing the scene unfolding before them.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" He asked them. He pointed to Ivan. "You, clean this up! You with the curly hair, you man the gift shop."

"I've never worked in..."

"It's a cash register, not a nuclear reactor!" Flash interrupted Tyler, pointing to the gift shop. Tyler regretfully went to the gift shop. Kendall followed the new director to his office. When she got there, she took the first-aid kit off the wall as he sat at his desk, checking his cut in a mirror.

"Bloody lunatic, I swear if this leaves a scar I am suing him for every penny he has!" Flash snapped as Kendall looked out a sterilising wipe. He winced a little as she dabbed the wound.

"I'm just cleaning it up a little!" Kendall told him. She continued, but Flash let out a hiss every time she touched him. "It doesn't look deep, it barely scratched you."

"He just flipped out..."

"Well, I'm not entirely surprised if you fired him out of the blue like that." Kendall told him. "I'm not saying what he did was right, but after 23 years I guess he expected at least a little notice..."

"I gave him his written warnings." Flash told her. Kendall just sighed.

"You sent them via E-mail, to an account he didn't even know he had." Kendall reminded him. "And you've only been here three days! How could he have racked up three warnings in three days?"

"Have you ever been in that shop? There's always a light out..."

"You gave him three warnings for THAT?" Kendall asked him. Flash saw that she wasn't buying it for a minute.

"Fine, so maybe I wanted to spruce the place up a bit, make the place seem a little fresher, a little younger and..."

"You...you fired him because he's OLD?" Kendall asked. He pointed at her in a warning gesture.

"That's for him to prove! I gave him valid warnings under the terms of his contract." He told her. "Besides, have you seen his contract? Between annual raises I've just saved us a fortune on a job I could hire any 16 year old to do. Besides, since he's been terminated, we don't have to worry about that pension package that was going to kick in a couple of years from now."

"I...I can't..." Kendall stammered.

"I have enough fossils on the museum floor love, I don't need them in my gift shop too." Flash told her, taking the first aid kit from her. Inspecting his wound, he decided Kendall was right and a simple plaster would suffice. "Now, go and hire me someone new, someone young, nice and cheap."

"I'll...I'll see what I can do." Kendall sighed, realising she wasn't going to convince Flash of the error of his ways.

"Oh, and Kendall?" He called out as she left. She flinched at the mere sound of him using her first name. Most of her friends didn't even use her first name. Hearing someone she loathed as much as Flash use it was like fingers on a chalkboard.

"Yes?" She asked.

"No fatties and no uggos." He told her, waving her off. Kendall just rolled her eyes as she stormed out of the office to get back to work.

Over at the Embassy, Phillipe was on his cell phone as he walked through the halls.

"Yes, I am well aware of the difficulties we're currently facing." Phillipe told the man on the other end. "This wouldn't be the first time one of our citizens has been detained...I am well aware he was bringing in human remains...the man is an ARCHAEOLOGIST the remains he was bringing through customs were over 700 years old! I hardly think there's any need for an investigation into the death of a mummy!...I'm sending over an attorney as we speak, and for your sake you better have his release papers ready by the time he arrives!"

Phillipe hung up the phone, putting it away.

"Arsehole!" He muttered as he took a deep breath. He checked his appearance quickly in the mirror, before knocking the door and waiting for an answer.

"Come in!" He heard Margaret calling through. He smiled as he opened the door, seeing her on a sofa, with a couple of specialists with her. One of them was her oncologist, giving her a check-up to see how she was coping with her chemotherapy, while the other was there with a range of prosthetic legs to replace the one she'd had amputated. She'd been measured for the prosthetic a short while ago, and Phillipe was only too happy to pay top dollar to have a specialist come up with a few options for her. Despite everything, she seemed very upbeat, and positively radiant as she smiled. He was helping her move her leg, getting used to the movement of one of the models he was showing her.

"Now, this one doesn't look like much, but it's very popular with veterans." The specialist told her. "Its titanium, very lightweight, and a lot of athletes and veterans swear that they can get back to good form with this model. One of my other patients is Delta Force and he's trying to lobby to be allowed to return to active duty."

"It definitely feels lighter than the other ones." Margaret commented, before looking to Phillipe. "What do you think?"

"You're asking ME for style tips?" He asked her. "In case you forgot I've never dressed myself a day in my life. That's what the palace stylists were for."

"The main thing to factor in is comfort. You will be wearing this most of the time." The doctor reminded her. "Last time I checked bodyguards do a lot of standing and walking."

"Bodyguard?" Phillipe asked, looking to Margaret.

"It is my job." Margaret reminded him with a laugh.

"I just...I wasn't sure you would be returning to that role." Phillipe answered. Margaret started to look decidedly confused and upset.

"Why would you think that I wouldn't?" She asked him. "Are you trying to tell me...?"

"Bugger, I've managed to mess this up already." Phillipe said as he ran a hand through his hair. "Would you all mind giving us the room?"

"No, they can wait right here!" Margaret responded. "It was bad enough your dad planned to fire me without paying for my treatment, but now you're telling me that once I'm better...?"

"Margaret, I was only thinking that I was going to offer you another position." He told her.

"What other position? I'm a BODYGUARD!" She yelled at him. "If you think for one minute I'm going to be a secretary..."

"I was thinking of princess." He interrupted her.

"...or stylist or..." She suddenly paused. "Wait...what did you say?"

Phillipe came over to the couch, and gently lowered himself to one knee. He took a deep breath, pulling out a box from his jacket pocket.

"Margaret Louise Hampshire, I know it took me a long time to admit what I feel for you, and that is a mistake I can never correct. To think of all the years I wasted that I could have been honest with you how I felt, to think that I could have been with you all that time...the only thing I can do that comes close is to ensure I don't waste one more minute." He said to her, looking up to her lovingly. "Margaret, Louise Hampshire...will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?"

Margaret couldn't contain her joy. While they had only been a couple a short time, they had known each other their whole lives. She had been in love with Phillipe since they were children. Without hesitation, she offered him her left hand and nodded.

"Yes, one million percent yes!" She answered. Phillipe was relieved that she had accepted his slightly clumsy proposal. Opening the box, he took out the ring, a gold band with a single ruby within it, and slipped it onto her finger, before moving in to seal the moment with a long, passionate kiss.

Back at the museum, the Rangers were gathered around in the cafe as Kendall relayed what had happened in the office. They already knew that Harold had been fired, but Kendall was still shell-shocked about the callousness with which it had gone down.

"Is that even legal?" Shelby shrieked. "That has to be constructive dismissal or something!"

"I...I really don't know, but even if it is, I don't think Harold exactly has the means or the wherewithal to fight the case." Kendall told them dejectedly.

"So that's it? After all these years of loyal service he is simply cast aside with nothing to show for it?" Ivan asked her. "It's an outrage! I have a good mind to...!"

"It really won't do any good. He seemed to have his mind made up." Kendall told him, trying to rein him in. While she knew that Anton would never allow anything to happen to the team, that didn't mean to say that he couldn't make life difficult for him. "Now we have to hire a replacement, and he's already made it clear what he wants."

"Let me guess, he wants someone with a wealth of experience and qualifications." Shelby said sarcastically.

"Actually he specifically wants me to hire someone young so we can pay them minimum." Kendall muttered. "Oh, and he also was specific about the point that appearance was important."

"You've got to be kidding me. He got rid of Harold and wants a kid with no experience who's good looking?" Riley asked in response. "He's shameless!"

"On the bright side he might get his comeuppance when you start taking interviews." Chase chuckled.

"And what's that meant to mean?" Kendall asked incredulously.

"Well, the last guy you hired turned out to be our Big Bad." Riley reminded her with a childish smirk on his face.

"HEY!" Kendall protested.

"Yeah, he re-modelled the restaurant when he left." Shelby joined in, nudging Kendall gently.

"That wasn't entirely my fault..."

"He also tie you up in office." Koda reminded her with a laugh.

"That was..."

"Yeah, let's face it Ms Morgan, you don't have a great track record with hiring." Allison giggled.

"You know what? You're right!" Kendall said with a smile that chilled Allison slightly. "But from what I remember, you have a bit of a flair for the hiring process."

"Wait...what?" Allison asked, suddenly feeling uneasy. She had a suspicion where this was leading, and could only remember the trying experience interviewing job applicants had been the last time.

"I mean, while I hired Heckyl, you hired Leanne the wonder kid vampire super waitress." Kendall told her, patting her on the shoulder. "Thanks for volunteering to do the interviews!"

"No, no, no, wait!" Allison called out as Kendall left to go back to her other duties. "I...I totally just talked myself into that one didn't I?"

"Yup, you totally did!" Shelby chuckled as the rest of the team laughed at her plight. "Have fun!"

As they all left to go back to their duties, Allison could only head-desk, thinking of what awaited her.

"I really need to learn to keep my mouth shut!" She grumbled.


	18. Interesting Job Interviews

It wasn't long before Allison was preparing once again for the untold horrors of facing job applicants. Flash had made it clear he didn't want the vacancy to be unfilled for long, and he had also made it clear what he was looking for. It did mean that the list of applications she had was considerably shorter, since he was ideally looking for someone young and cheap that he could pay minimum wage. He didn't seem to really care if the person was any good, or even remotely qualified. Just like everything else in the museum, it seemed he was only really interested in image and appearance.

Putting the folder of application forms down on the desk, she heard a knock on the door. Chase poked his head around the door.

"Have you started yet?" He asked, with a huge smile on his face. She just shook her head.

"There is not enough coffee in the world to make this day any better." She muttered. Chase and Riley both made their way into the room.

"Maybe a little moral support is what you need." Riley suggested.

"Moral support? Like the last time?" Allison asked incredulously. "You just want to see the freak show."

"Are we really that transparent?" Chase asked. She just gestured to them to sit down.

"Just call in the first one." She said, taking a sip of her coffee. Chase went to the door and signalled the first of the applicants in.

"So...Derek is it?" Allison asked. The guy didn't seem to be very attentive; in fact, he didn't seem to notice much about what she was saying at all. "OK, um...it says here you're 18...so what have you been doing?"

"Until last week, I was a resident of the Federal Government." He told them. "Two years for possession."

"Well, that's off to a promising start." Chase whispered to Allison, who was trying hard to keep a straight face.

"OK, thank you for your...um...upfront attitude to disclosure." Allison answered. "So, are you clean?"

"I had a shower if that's what you mean." He said, sniffing his armpits. "I guess it's been a couple of days since I changed my shirt."

"By any chance are you still partaking of controlled substances?" Allison asked him. "Like...as of this morning?"

"I get really nervous around people; I'm not really that good around big groups." He said with a goofy grin on his face. "I took a little weed to keep me calm..."

"So you want a job in a shop?" Riley asked sarcastically. Allison just put her hand over his mouth.

"OK, thank you for your time!" Allison announced. "We have your details on file. Chase, would you mind showing Derek out?"

"It's alright; I know where the door is." He told her.

"No, please...I insist." Allison answered as Chase helped Derek out. As soon as he'd gone, Allison tore his application form in half, before depositing it in a trash can as Riley started laughing.

"OK, this day is going to be fun." He commented.

"I'm glad you think so." She muttered. "Alright Chase, show in the next one, let's get it over with."

In the back, Kendall was checking a delivery. She was still getting used to not being the boss, and the frustrations that came with it. She was having a discussion with one of the delivery men.

"I'm sorry; I'm just used to receiving our deliveries from Benny..."

"We just got the contract last week." The man said to her, gesturing to the form. "Just sign here..."

"I want to check the manifest first." She told him. "I want to be sure everything is..."

"Listen lady, we've got seven other deliveries to make before lunch..."

"Yes, and I have a job to do as well." Kendall answered, opening one of the boxes. "Where's all the packing? This box is half empty."

"It's all part of our environmental policy..."

"Part of your cost-cutting policy more likely." Kendall grumbled. Just then one of the other delivery men dropped a crate onto the floor with a loud crash. "HEY! Watch what you're doing!"

"What?" The man asked her.

"These are fossils! They're incredibly fragile!" Kendall stated, rushing over to the crate he had dropped. "Good grief!"

"Really? They're fragile?" He asked, looking on the side of the crate. "It isn't marked as fragile."

"You're delivering to a natural history museum, what do you think you're going to be delivering?" Kendall snapped in response. "You undercut our old delivery company didn't you?"

"I don't get involved in the business side of things, I just do the deliveries." The driver said, showing her the form again. "It says here three crates, we've delivered three crates."

Kendall wanted to break open the crates to check on the contents, but as much as she'd love to keep them waiting, her patience was wearing thin and she just wanted them gone. She scribbled out a signature.

"If anything's missing or broken, we are NOT paying for this delivery." She told him flatly.

"That's something you'll have to take up with your boss sweetheart." The driver chuckled. "He's the one that pays the bills."

As he left, Kendall broke open a crate to start checking on the delivery. She knew he was right, that as long as Flash was paying the bills and was controlling all the contracts in the museum, there was really nothing she could do about the sub-standard service of the new delivery company. She pulled a piece of rock with some traces of cave paint on it out of the crate. It was broken, and given the clean edges, it looked like it was broken recently. She just sighed and dropped the piece back into the crate where it clattered on the others.

"Wonderful." She muttered, beginning to make her way towards the floor, intending to bring her concerns over the new delivery company with Flash. As she was heading towards the cafe, she found herself tripping on something. There was a loud crash, and as she looked down, she saw some broken plates. They were stacked up on the floor, and appeared to be dirty. She headed through to the restaurant, finding practically every surface covered in dirty dishes. Leanne came in carrying some more.

"Leanne, what's going on here?" Kendall asked her. "Why are there dirty dishes just lying on the floor in the storage area?"

"Because I'm kind of running out of room here." Leanne answered, gesturing around.

"OK, why are you running out of room? Why aren't you just cleaning these dishes?" Kendall asked her.

"The plumber is putting in the new fawcett." She told Kendall. "Unfortunately, he's taking his sweet time over it. In the meantime, we have no way of cleaning these dishes."

"Did he give you ANY idea how long he'd be?" Kendall asked her.

"Put it this way, I've already made him four lattes." Leanne told her. Kendall rolled her eyes.

"Alright, just...do what you can." Kendall answered. Just then, her cell phone bleeped. "Good grief, what now? Hello? Margaret? What's happening is everything...? OK, I'll be over there as soon as I can!"

With that, she put away her cell phone. She had been spending a fair amount of time with Margaret since her diagnosis. Kendall had been a cancer survivor herself and knew all too well the difficult road she faced. Margaret hadn't told her what the issue was, she just asked her to come over. While she was only too happy to spend time with her, if she called her over urgently, she had to wonder if she had take a turn for the worse. Kendall looked to Leanne.

"If Flash asks, just...make something up." Kendall told her.

"Tell Margaret we're thinking about her." Leanne answered as she headed out to the front, nearly knocking over a stack of dishes. "God, I really hope that plumber hurries up, but I am NOT looking forward to doing all these dishes."

Over at the Embassy, Margaret was getting ready for her visitor. Despite everything, despite all the treatments and the doctors and everything, she was happier than she could ever remember.

She didn't doubt that soon there would be an official announcement of their engagement. It was always a big deal when the heir to a nation announced their engagement, and she had no doubt whatsoever that the wedding would be an international event. Any hopes she had that the wedding would be a day just for them were fruitless at best, but she was determined at least to enjoy it all, and to exert control over what she could, including who was the first to know.

Looking to the engagement ring, she still couldn't stop smiling. Phillipe too seemed to be keen to exert whatever control over the proceedings he could. It wasn't some antique or some heirloom from his bloodline. The ring itself wasn't even particularly fancy or ornate, just a simple ruby set into a gold band, but that was by design. While her position as Princess would largely replace her original role as Phillipe's bodyguard, she was still always going to take that role seriously. She couldn't just turn off a lifetime of military training. She was never likely to just be a trophy wife, there to look good on his arm; she had every intention of being as active as she always had been once she was back on her feet so to speak.

She turned around as she heard the door behind her. She found Kendall coming in with one of Phillipe's security detail.

"Ms Morgan is here to see you." He announced. Margaret just gestured that he could go.

"That's fine, thank you." Margaret told him. When he left, Kendall approached her.

"Margaret, I came as soon as I could." Kendall told her. Margaret furrowed her brows looking at her.

"So I see." Margaret answered. "New uniform?"

Kendall looked down at her outfit and rolled her eyes, pulling her jacket around herself.

"Believe me, it is not my choice." Kendall assured her.

"Oh, I can definitely see that." Margaret chuckled. "In fact...I can see quite a bit..."

"Yeah, can we get the subject off Flash's misogynistic idea of appropriate work wear?" Kendall asked her. "You asked me to come here, you said you had news. What's happening? Is your condition...?"

"It's nothing to do with my condition. In fact, I feel better now than I have in maybe years." Margaret told her with a bright smile. She showed her the ring. "Phillipe proposed. We're getting married!"

"Margaret, that's absolutely amazing news!" Kendall screeched, hearing the news. "When did this happen? Have you set a date? Are you...?"

"We've not really had much of a chance to do much of anything. He only proposed last night." Margaret told her. "He hasn't even called his dad yet. We've not told anyone, you're officially the first one to know."

"Me, I'm...well I'm flattered, but why would you tell me first?" Kendall asked her. Margaret put a hand on Kendall's arm.

"Kendall, you've always been there for me through all of...well...this. I don't know if I'd have made it half this far if you weren't there for me." Margaret told her. "That's why I was hoping that you would agree to be my Maid of Honour."

"You're...I don't know what to..." Kendall started to stammer. "I'd be honoured! Of course I'll do it!"

"Oh my God, you have no idea how happy that makes me!" Margaret said as she launched forward, hugging Kendall tightly. The Purple Ranger wasn't usually particularly comfortable with physical displays of affection, but in this instance, she was more than happy to make an exception. "OK, now that you know, I'm going to need a lot of help. I've got so much work to do."

"I'm not sure how much work it'll be." Kendall responded. "I mean, it'll be a state wedding, there'll be an army of people to arrange..."

"No, I was meaning with this." Margaret told her, gesturing to her leg. "I fully have every intention of walking down the aisle."

"Then you can count on me to help in any way I can." Kendall assured her. "You only need to call."

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Phillipe came in, seeing the two of them together.

"Ms Morgan, Peter said you were here...what EXACTLY are you wearing?" Phillipe said as he arrived. Kendall just sighed.

"Not exactly my choice." Kendall assured him. Phillipe shook his head.

"So, have you told her?" Phillipe asked. Margaret just nodded.

"Congratulations!" Kendall answered.

"Excellent! Now I can finally tell others." Phillipe said, getting out his cell phone. "I wanted to give Margaret the chance to break our news first. You have no idea how difficult it's been to keep this to myself. I have so many calls to make. I want everything to be perfect!"

Back at the museum, Allison was once again acquainting herself with exactly how much she loathed the interview process. It was traumatic enough the first time, but with Flash insisting on wanting someone cheap, it seemed like his adverts had attracted the absolute bottom of the barrel. Allison didn't have anything against the idea of hiring anyone young; there were plenty of good young workers. However, it seemed like all of them had given this job opening a hard miss.

"So, your CV says you were born in 2002 is that correct?" Allison asked her latest applicant. The girl just nodded. "That would make you 15. You know we can't legally hire anyone under 16."

"Are you saying you're not giving me the job because I'm young?" The girl in front of them asked. "That's age discrimination!"

"No, that's employment law!" Allison told her.

"My dad has a great lawyer! If you don't give me the job I'm going to sue..."

"Yeah, good luck with that!" Allison told her, pointing to the door. "Go back to High School, it'll be better for you...Oh my God, I've become my mother!"

"Alright, I think that's a good time for a break." Riley said as he wiped away a few tears of laughter. He was struggling to keep a straight face. He had agreed to help because he knew how much it amused him the last time he helped with interviews.

"No, there are only another couple of applicants." Allison said as she went to take a sip from her coffee, before finding to her disappointment that it was empty.

"Maybe I can go and get us some more..."

"No, let's just get this freak show over with." Allison muttered. "Show the next one in."

Chase went to the door, but as he opened it, he was almost bowled over as a girl came rushing in, bouncing into the room with boundless energy. She slapped down some CV's in front of them.

"Hi, Hi, Hi, thanks for having me, here's my CV, I think you'll find everything in order...I just want to say I am REALLY excited to be here!" She rushed out.

"OK...um...that's really good, I'm glad to see some enthusiasm." Allison said. As Chase came to the table, he leaned over to Riley and whispered to him.

"Um...am I crazy or is that...?"

"Sarah Thomson!" Sarah said, shaking Allison's hand enthusiastically. Allison had to compose herself as she gestured to Sarah to sit down.

"OK, I love enthusiasm, but can you keep it down a notch?" Allison asked her. "OK, let's look at this; it says you're 16, that's a good start. 4.0 GPA, interests in sports, chess, science...wait...your CV is...10 pages?"

"I didn't know what was important and what wasn't, so I just put it all in." Sarah said excitedly. "I REALLY want this job!"

"Um...alright?" Allison asked her. "So, what makes you want to work in a gift shop."

"Oh...no not that, I really don't." Sarah told them. "I mean, no offence, but retail just sounds like such a snore. I know I'll do well, but it sounds like watching paint dry or feeling my hair grow or..."

"Wait, I'm confused, you said you wanted this job." Allison said, scratching her head.

"Oh, I do! I get that it's the only way to keep cover." Sarah answered. "I want to help with what you guys REALLY do here."

"What...what we really do here?" Chase asked. "What do you mean by that?"

"What you do underneath the museum." Sarah said. They just looked puzzled, so Sarah pulled in closer. "I know you guys are the Rangers!"

"Wait...what did you say?" Chase asked.

"You think we're the Power Rangers?" Riley chuckled. "What makes you think...?"

"When I was in the caves I saw the colour of the stone and the geological formations. From that and the numerous land surveys of Amber Beach I managed to figure out the most likely sites of the cave, all of which were around here." Sarah told them. "Also, the Black Ranger had a New Zealand accent. I only knew one person from New Zealand in Amber Beach, the guy that got me out of the dumpster, so when I threw the make-up I called out Chase's name and he answered."

Riley and Allison just turned slowly to glare at Chase.

"What?" He asked. "It's a reflex, it's my name!"

"So how about it? Am I in?" Sarah asked.

"I'm really starting to think we suck at the whole secret identity thing." Riley muttered. Chase got up and went to the door.

"I'll get rid of the other applicants." He told them. Allison just pulled out her cell phone.

"Um...Ms Morgan?" Allison stated. "I think you're really going to sit in on this one!"


	19. GMa Betty

Kendall had gotten back to the museum to find that Chase, Riley and Allison had already sent all the other applicants home. Only Sarah was still in the office, waiting for Kendall to return. Kendall closed the door when she entered the room.

"Alright, this better be good." Kendall told them. "Why am I here?"

"You're the Purple Ranger aren't you?" Sarah screeched, pointing to Kendall. She just stared at her. "I mean, I prefer pink personally, but purple is kind of like pink."

"That would be the issue we wanted to bring up." Allison told her.

"What...what makes you think...?"

"It's no use, I already know about the others, and you...well...Purple is at least a foot shorter than pretty much all the others and you fit that description." Sarah stated. Kendall took off her glasses.

"OK, what happened?" Kendall asked them.

"Take one guess who's to blame." Riley said as he and Allison turned to Chase. He just threw up his hands.

"Why am I getting the blame?" He asked.

"You know, interesting fact, there is only one New Zealand citizen in Amber Beach." Sarah said with a bright smile, showing them her cell phone. "I got that little gem from the last census."

Kendall tried to size up the situation. If it was a guess, then it was a pretty damned good one, but looking at her shell-shocked team-mates, it didn't seem like a mere guess. Pulling up the last census was a pretty dedicated move for someone who just had a hunch. She figured it wasn't worth trying to discourage Sarah, the girl seemed pretty set on the idea she had found the Rangers.

"OK, so presuming you're right, what is this about?" Kendall asked her.

"I want to help." Sarah told Kendall flatly. "I've only been in Amber Beach a couple of years, my parents move around a lot, but I really like it here! These monsters that keep attacking the city, they're attacking innocent people! They're attacking homes! I love it here, and if they want to come into my home and harm my city, then I want to stop them!"

"That's all very commendable, but presuming you're right, do you think people just become Rangers?" Kendall asked her. "Do you think it's just a case of pulling on some tight spandex...?"

"OK, whatever those suits are, they are NOT spandex!" Sarah told her. "Seeing the beatings they take, the shots that they take, I don't know what they are, but if they were spandex, there would be a LOT of dead Rangers!"

"That's beside the point." Kendall said, but had to be a little impressed by the fact the girl seemed to understand at least that the Rangers were more than just a bunch of people running around in tights.

"Look, I would LOVE to be a Ranger! I mean, these things...they go after everyone and anyone and they don't care who they hurt! My mom ended up in hospital for a week when one of those monsters took out the bus she was taking home from work!" Sarah answered.

"Does how dangerous they are not make you think twice?" Kendall asked her. "You've seen what those things can do."

"Which is EXACTLY why I want someone that can defend themselves between those things and the people I care about!" Sarah stated as she looked to the panel before her. "I swear, this isn't a glory thing, even though I'm sure it would totally rock being a superhero! I don't care if I'm destroying monsters or taking blasts in the face or even just...I don't know...polishing the zords! If I can help, then I want to!"

Kendall took the girl's rather sizeable CV and started looking at it. She flipped through it, looking at all the details the girl had listed that she thought would help convince them to let her in. Kendall could see that Sarah was accomplished; she had a number of impressive trophies, titles and certificates to her name.

"Presuming you're right, you seem to grasp the idea that there is secrecy involved." Kendall said. "I'm sure you've seen enough TV and comic books to know what happens when secret identities are involved...and more importantly what some need to do to keep those secrets."

Sarah gulped as she heard this. Maybe she hadn't thought this all the way through. Kendall drew in closer, coming almost nose-to-nose with her.

"Do you remember that scene in 'The Dark Knight' where some guy confronts Lucius Fox with the identity of Batman and tried to blackmail him?" Kendall continued, her voice becoming eerily cold. While not loud or overtly aggressive, her tone did carry a significant threat to it. Sarah started nodding furiously. "You didn't think that through did you? Is that it? You wanted to blackmail your way in? Try to threaten...?"

"There's no threat, please, believe me! If you tell me to go I'll leave right now and I swear I'll never say a word!" Sarah rushed out in a panic. "But I want to help in any way...?"

"Well, we need someone to work in the gift shop." Kendall told her. "As for anything else, you do what we say, when we say, nothing more and nothing less. If there's one complaint, one whine, if that's too much for you to do, you know where the door is and I'll joyfully throw you out myself."

Sarah just gulped again and nodded.

"Then welcome aboard." Kendall told her, getting some surprised looks from the others. "Allison, go and get her measured up for a uniform. You start right now."

"Oh, you won't regret this, I totally promise you!" Sarah said excitedly, going around the room, shaking each of their hands enthusiastically. "I'll do anything, I'll listen and..."

"Sarah, go and get a uniform." Kendall told her. Allison took Sarah out of the room, at which Chase and Riley came to Kendall's side.

"Did...did I miss something?" Chase asked her. "I thought you were going to chase her out of here!"

"I thought that death-glare of yours was going to warn her off..."

"She doesn't seem like the kind of girl who scares with just a threat." Kendall sighed. "Best case scenario, if she sees what's involved, she might decide it's too much on her own. Worst case scenario? At least if we keep her close, we might stop her from doing stupid and getting herself killed."

She was just about to leave the room when she turned back.

"Besides, she kind of reminds me of someone." She told them. With that, she left to go back to work.

In another part of the city, Alessandra went into the gym, making her way past a lot of the wrestlers who were all training hard, waiting on their opportunity to show Carl what they could do in the hopes of getting a shot on the next show. She went straight past them, heading for Carl who was watching a couple of guys in the ring.

"For the love of God, Fred, carry your weight!" He yelled at them. "You're meant to be helping him with the lift! If you dead-ass him like that, the lift looks like shit! OK, Rick, on the shoulder, that's it...now tuck his arm in. No, the OTHER arm! Well, tuck it or break it when you slam him it's really up to you!"

"Carl." Alessandra said to him, raising his attention. He turned towards her as he saw her.

"Right, come into my office." He told her. "Jack, for the love of God watch those two and make sure they don't cripple each other while I'm gone!"

Carl took Alessandra into his office, closing the door behind them.

"Alright, let's see them." Carl told her. Alessandra just looked to him.

"I alright..."

"I'm only asking you once." Carl told her. Alessandra reached into her bag and pulled out an envelope, handing it to him. Carl pulled out the report and started reading. Alessandra stood, waiting for him to say something.

"I alright, I feel fine..."

"Alessandra, according to this, that knee of yours..."

"I fine, it say I alright, I cleared." She told him. "I wear brace and..."

"Alessandra, you're fine for now, but you know as well as I do these things just build up." Carl told her.

"But I feel..."

"Have you told Koda about this?" He asked her. Alessandra just shuffled her feet.

"He only worry." She muttered. "I know I fine..."

"You're fine for now, but if you keep working on that knee, then in a few months it won't be a simple fix, it'll be a full reconstruction and that's you out for months!" Carl said, trying to reason with her. He understood her desire to keep working, especially now that she was his top star, but that was all the more reason he wanted to keep her healthy and working as regularly as possible. He put a hand on her shoulder. "I want you to rest it as much as possible, and keep wearing that knee brace, but in the next couple of months, you're going to have to drop that strap. I want my top star in top shape."

Alessandra wanted to argue, but she knew it was pointless. It was Carl's company, and ultimately his decision who had what titles and when they dropped them and to who. She could also see the benefit in having a small surgery relatively early rather than a much more extensive surgery when her knee finally fell apart.

"When?" She asked him.

"I reckon you can last another couple of shows, but I want you to schedule that surgery for some time in the next couple of months." Carl told her. "When you have a date, let me know and I'll start putting a program together. Don't worry, when that knee's 100%, it won't be long before that strap's going home."

Alessandra hugged him, before collecting her reports and heading out. It was disappointing that soon her time as the champion would be coming to an end, but she knew that was the nature of the business. It was an honour to have been on top, and she always knew that the day would come it would be time to pass the title to someone else. She just hoped that she would recover quickly, and that whoever he picked to succeed her would work just as hard as her to honour the title that she carried with such pride.

The following day, at the museum, things were starting to get back to some form of order. Kendall and Flash were with Sarah in the gift shop, getting her acquainted with where everything was.

"So when people have the token from the premium tour..."

"I can give them anything from the red shelf, or they can take anything from the gold shelf for $10." Sarah said, relaying the information Flash had given her a few times. "Then I process the token with this button on the register."

"Good, glad to see you pick things up so quickly!" Flash answered, putting his arm around her. "Now, remember, just flash those lovely pearly whites and charm the customers and sell, sell, sell! If you make $1000 in sales in the day, there's an extra five bucks for you!"

"I'll do my best sir!" Sarah said, saluting him as he left, before getting to work. As he walked out with Kendall, he looked to her.

"Well, I have to hand it to you, that girl is a find!" He told her. "Cute as a button, and with enthusiasm to spare! The kids are going to love her, and the guys will be drooling so much, they'll buy anything she wants them to!"

"I can't help noticing that her shirt is longer than the others..."

"Yeah, I know I said I didn't want fatties, but did you have to go so far to the opposite extreme?" Flash asked her. "That girl's got abs like a Russian rower!"

"Has anyone ever told you that you're unbelievably shallow?" Kendall asked him. He just shrugged.

"Two of my last three wives." He answered. "The other one didn't call me anything; she just took my Bentley and went."

"I can't possibly think why." Kendall whispered under her breath as she went back to work.

Ivan walked into the museum, arm-in-arm with Erin. Parting from her, he looked to her and smiled.

"There really was no need for you to escort me all the way to the museum." He told her.

"I wanted to." She reassured him. "Thanks for lunch; I had a really great time."

"Not as much fun as I did, I assure you." Ivan said, kissing her hand. "Parting is such sweet sorrow milady. May the time flow swiftly until we can do this again."

As he turned to head towards the locker rooms, Erin just watched him go, her eyes fixated on his butt as he walked away. Shelby came across, seeing the way her friend was looking at him.

"Did you and Ivan just...?"

"We had lunch together." Erin said with a bright grin. "And we may have taken the scenic route."

"You mean you two went on a date?" Shelby asked her. Erin just nodded.

"Oh my God, thank you for introducing us!" Erin told her. "That guy is such a dream-boat..."

"Erin, are you sure about this? You have only just met!" Shelby reminded her.

"What? I thought you'd be happy!" Erin told her. "Maybe if things go well, you and Tyler can double date with us..."

"Erin, doesn't his whole routine seem a little...much?" Shelby asked her. "The lines, the hand-kissing..."

"Hey, not everyone is a fire-brand like you Shelbster, I like that stuff." Erin answered. "Some of us like the whole gallantry and chivalry thing..."

"Erin..."

"Shelbster, you're not dating the guy, I am...hopefully." Erin interrupted her. "I'll see you later. I have some stuff to do."

As she left, Shelby watched her friend go. She was her best friend, and it was great to see her happy. Following the whole 'fake Pink Ranger' thing, Erin was still getting a bit of a rough ride from people who didn't appreciate being sucked in by the hoax, and so anything that was making Erin happy was a good thing. However, she couldn't help being a little concerned. She suddenly found her attention snatched back as she saw someone walking past her, heading for the cafe. For an older woman, especially one carrying a large bag, she was especially spry, and Shelby had to move pretty quickly to make sure she got back to the restaurant before her.

In the kitchen, Tyler was showing Koda the new fawcett that had been installed. The plumber had only just left, which meant they now had two whole days' worth of dishes waiting for them. Koda was standing back, looking a little hesitant about the new hose.

"Come on Koda, this new fawcett will make the dishes so much faster!" Tyler told him. Koda just shook his head.

"It look like water snake." Koda told him. Tyler just took the head.

"Come on, it's easy. I'll show you." Tyler continued. As Koda started to make his way hesitantly towards the sink, Tyler couldn't resist messing with him, moving the head quickly like it was going to strike him.

"TYLER!" Koda barked in warning. Tyler just laughed and took the head, starting it running, and demonstrating how it worked.

"Look, isn't that easier?" He asked him.

Shelby got to the counter only marginally before the old lady, taking up her position. She took off her hat, looking around the restaurant.

"Slow day huh?" She asked. "I'm looking for my grand-daughter."

"Oh, is she meeting you here?" Shelby asked her.

"It's more of a surprise." She stated. "Now, how about getting an old lady some iced tea?" Shelby just smiled.

"Coming right up!" She answered as she went to prepare her order. It had been a long trip, and Betty was eager to see her grand-daughter. She was so eager, she had come straight from the air strip after returning from Alaska. Pulling off her sunglasses, she settled in. She didn't need to go looking for her grand-daughter, knowing her doodlebug, she'd be making rounds of the museum regularly to ensure it was running smoothly. All of a sudden, there was a commotion from in the kitchen. Both the young men in the back started screaming and flailing about as water sprayed everywhere. One of them was waving around a towel, while the other appeared to be brandishing a spatula like a club as a fawcett flailed around, spraying everywhere.

"What in the Sam Hill?" Betty blurted out, before grabbing an adjusting spanner from her bag and running into the kitchen. The two guys were flailing around so blindly they didn't even notice as she went under the sink. With a quick twist, the fawcett suddenly fell silent.

"Water snake vanquished!" Koda declared proudly. Betty just got up slowly.

"There's no mystery here, I just turned the water off!" She informed them. Just then, Kendall arrived with the others, drawn by all the commotion.

"Oh good grief! What in the world happened here?" Kendall demanded. "I'm going to have to call the plumber!"

"From the looks of this shoddy work I'd say it was a cheap-ass plumber that caused this in the first place." Betty told her. It was only then that Kendall noticed her standing there, and her eyes opened widely. "Remember Doodlebug, never spend a penny..."

"When you can do it yourself." She answered, recalling her grandmother's lessons. She hugged the older woman warmly, something that the team wasn't used to seeing from her. "How could I forget your lessons G-ma? What are you doing here?"

"What? Do I need an appointment to see my doodlebug now?" Betty asked her. "Um...speaking of which...that t-shirt doesn't leave a whole lot to the imagination doodlebug."

"It's...really not my choice." Kendall answered.

"Not your choice? You run this place!" Betty stated. Kendall just let out a little cough.

"Um...not anymore." Kendall told her.

"So, are you going to introduce me to your friends?" Betty asked her.

"OK, G-Ma Betty, this is Shelby, Riley, Chase, Ivan, Koda and Tyler. Guys, this is...my grandmother!" Kendall told them. They all politely said hello.

"So, what do you mean you don't run this place anymore?" Betty asked her. "What's with the hooters uniform?"

"Um...I'll just take you to the corner to catch up. Guys, don't you have work to do?" Kendall asked, taking Betty aside.

"Whatever you say doodlebug!" Chase called after her, earning himself a death-glare as the others gathered towels to begin cleaning up.


	20. A Welcome Expedition

The Rangers were all creating pointless busy work for themselves, all of which suspiciously fell around the restaurant. It wasn't as though Leanne or Allison minded the help, but it didn't really take ALL of them to help clean up. They were all gathered around, watching as Kendall sat with her grandmother, catching up on things. Shelby knew how fond of GMa Betty Kendall was, she had seen numerous pictures in the apartment, and had seen the distinct change in mood whenever Kendall would talk about her.

"Guys, you know you're all being super obvious right?" Allison asked them. They all nodded, their gaze never shifting from Kendall and Betty. "Guys, this is kind of creepy, don't you think?"

"You're welcome." Chase stated, handing her a plate he had been drying for the last 20 minutes. "We're always glad to help."

"Are...are they even listening to us?" Allison asked. Leanne got a mischievous look on her face.

"Say Tyler, is that a wildebeest over there by that plant pot?" She asked. The Red Ranger just nodded.

"Yeah, I guess so." He commented. Leanne and Allison got huge smiles on their faces as they saw the opportunity presented to them.

"Say, Shelby, Tyler, would you mind taking Chase and my shifts this weekend? We'd like to spend some time decorating the new apartment." Allison asked them. Shelby just nodded as she went to hand Allison a plate, only to almost drop it on the floor. Leanne had to move quickly to catch it.

"Oh, and um...Riley, you remember you promised to take me ice-skating right?" Leanne asked. Again, Riley just nodded. Leanne couldn't help smiling.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Chase asked.

Over at the table, Betty was enjoying catching up with her granddaughter. She loved her adventures, but it was a shame that she didn't get to spend the time she wanted to with her Doodlebug. She had hoped that some time, she could get to go on some of Kendall's expeditions, but so far she had never managed to get Kendall to take her with her on one of her digs. The job at the museum and her Ranger duties had bound her to Amber Beach, which meant for the time being at least, there would be no real opportunity to share an adventure.

"That outfit really is hideous dear. Are you sure you couldn't wear something a little more flattering?" Betty asked her. "I mean, you're a beautiful girl, but you're a palaeontologist, not a stripper."

"GMa, I really don't have a choice in this. This is the new director's idea." Kendall told her. She could see the look on GMa Betty's face. "A valuable artefact was damaged on my watch and the museum was almost sued into bankruptcy. Anton was not too happy about it."

"He demoted you?" Betty asked her incredulously.

"I'm lucky he didn't fire me." Kendall said sadly. "If it wasn't for all the other stuff we do around here, he probably would have."

"I'm going to call him right now and give him a piece of my mind!" Betty declared angrily. Kendall just reached out to stop her.

"GMa, it's his right to do this." Kendall reminded her. "I...I probably would have done the same thing."

"Hire a jackass who doesn't have a clue what he's doing?" Betty asked her. "Have you seen that monstrosity he built in the entrance hall? A sixth grader could tell that skeleton couldn't be any less accurate if you armed it with a bazooka!"

"It's...it's up to him how he runs the museum." Kendall muttered, her feelings on the new regime obvious. "I'm just hoping that by the time I'm done with the Energems I'll still have a career to go back to. I can't afford to ruffle too many feathers."

"But you can't be afraid to ruffle feathers in this life..."

"Can we just...talk about something else please?" Kendall asked her. Betty just gave her a smile, wordlessly agreeing to move on from a subject Kendall clearly didn't want to talk about.

"Well then, how about we talk about something else? How about we talk about that boyfriend of yours?" Betty asked her with a wry smile.

"GMa..."

"When do I get to meet this Matt person who..."

"We...kind of broke up a couple of months ago." Kendall answered. It was still a slightly raw subject, one that Kendall hadn't felt able to bring up with her grandmother in their E-mails. Betty reached over to her.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that Doodlebug." She said sympathetically. "What happened?"

"It's not really something I want to talk about..."

"Did he do something to hurt you?" Betty asked her. "If he did, then I'm going around there right now..."

"GMa, he didn't do anything wrong." Kendall told her. "We were just both moving in different directions. We both wanted different things."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Betty asked her.

"Look, we just wanted different things and we called it a day." Kendall responded. "I've already had a rebound thing with a complete two-faced jerk that was a total disaster and...can we please just not talk about this anymore?"

"Well, then how about I show you what I brought you?" Betty asked her, reaching under the table to the bundle of blankets she had brought with her. "You want to get back in Anton's good books? You can bet your britches this will make the man fall to his knees and BEG you to take your old job back."

Before Kendall could say anything else, GMa Betty unwrapped the package, showing Kendall a huge, round, shaped lens of what appeared to be some form of glass.

"I found this in a cave on my expedition in Alaska." She told her. "It looks like it was some form of light reflector. I figured you could display it in the museum or something."

Kendall just looked at it, and back to her grandmother. It did look interesting, but she had no idea what it was, or if it was of any interest whatsoever. Just because she found it in a cave didn't mean it had any real significance.

"GMa, the museum doesn't really need any new exhibits." Kendall told her.

"But the museum always needs..."

"I'd need to run this by Flash, and I don't think he'd be interested in a piece of glass." Kendall told her.

"But that man is clearly clueless, I walked past a Neanderthal who was holding a longbow on my way in! Why doesn't he go the whole hog and give him a Winchester?" GMa Betty protested. "Besides, I have some pictures here that'll really..."

"GMa, please." Kendall interrupted her. She didn't want to fight with her grandmother, and she knew she meant well, but she was already far enough in Anton's bad books without trying to tell him how to run his museum when it was no longer her job to do so. Betty looked to her granddaughter and could see the defeated look on her face. Whatever had happened lately had knocked a lot of the fight and spirit out of her. It seemed like life had thrown a lot of tough blows at her lately, and she wasn't ready to take any more. Betty just shrugged.

"Fine then, don't listen to me." She answered. "I'll just go replace the lightbulbs in the gift shop. It looks like your maintenance guy is as useless as your director."

With that, she got up and left. Kendall hated fighting with her grandmother, but she wasn't able to face any more trouble at the museum. She was getting ready to take the lens somewhere safe as the others approached the table.

"So...not the happy reunion you were hoping for?" Shelby asked her.

"I'll make it up to her later." Kendall told them. "I'll order in some sushi, she loves..."

"Where you get this?" Koda asked, gripping their attention. Kendall turned to see him looking at the lens, running his hands across it gently.

"GMa brought it." Kendall told him. "She thought it was something we should display in the museum..."

"Where GMa get this?" Koda asked her.

"She found it in a cave in Alaska..."

"I know this." Koda interrupted her. The Rangers all stared at him. They didn't claim that Koda was a particularly well-studied guy, but he was also pretty transparent with his emotions. Looking at the expression on his face, it was clear he recognised this from somewhere. "I not remember why, but this...this very important."

"Wait...Alaska...Koda was found in a glacier in Alaska wasn't he?" Shelby put down. "Is it possible this belonged to his people?"

"I guess it's possible." Kendall surmised. "We ran into heavy storms in the area, once we excavated Koda we had to leave pretty quickly."

"We go find GMa caves!" Koda declared. "Now please!"

"Wait, we can't just go to Alaska just like that!" Kendall told them.

"Well, why not?" Chase asked her. "I mean, we are a dig team right?"

"And this would be an excavation, so it would fall within our responsibilities." Riley suggested. Kendall didn't look at all convinced.

"It would mean some time away from Flash." Shelby reminded her.

"Pack your gear." Kendall told them as she started heading for the lab. "I need to consult some of my old notes!"

In the gift shop, Sarah was arranging stock on the shelves, trying to make best use of the space in the shop. While the shop itself wasn't actually huge, she had figured out that there was a lot more room than Harold was making use of. She looked around as she saw an old woman coming in.

"Hey there, are you looking for anything in particular?" Sarah asked her.

"Just a chair." Betty told her, heading for the counter.

"Well, there are plenty of seats in the diner and...oh...OK." She said as Betty took the chair from behind the counter and brought it round, positioning it under one of the blown bulbs. She stepped up onto it. "Um...Ma'am, I don't think you should be..."

"Hit the light for me would you sweetie?" Betty told her. "I'd really rather not get electrocuted."

Sarah just did as she was told, turning off the light, at which Betty got to work replacing the bulb.

"That should do it." She responded. "Here, you can turn it on again."

Sarah turned on the light, at which the new bulb immediately blew. Betty just sighed.

"It looks like the fitting's on the fritz." She commented. "Hit the light again sweetie, I just need to get some stuff out my bag."

"So...are you on the maintenance team?" Sarah asked her, turning off the light. Betty just glared at her.

"Do I LOOK like a maintenance person?" Betty asked her, pulling some screwdrivers out of her bag and taking apart the light fitting. "No offence dear, but I don't think my old as would look good in one of those 'uniforms' you're made to wear."

"Yeah, they're not great." Sarah answered. "So...if you're not maintenance, then who are you and why exactly are you fixing my lights?"

"That's a really good question!" Flash said as he came into the shop, seeing Betty up on the chair. "Who are you?"

"Betty Morgan." Betty replied as she looked down to him, holding out a piece of the light fitting. Flash found himself taking it, but not really sure why. "I'm just helping you keep this place from falling to pieces. Ah, here's your problem, hand me that pen knife from my purse would you sweetie?"

Sarah took out the pen knife, handing it to Betty, who kept working, completely ignoring Flash's presence.

"Wait, Morgan...as in KENDALL Morgan?" He asked.

"I believe she prefers MS Morgan, but yes, that would be my granddaughter." Betty told him. "There, that should be it, can I have that piece back? Thank you sonny."

Flash handed her back the light fitting, which she put back together.

"There's another bulb in my bag, thanks sweetie." Betty said, putting the bulb in. "Alright, hit it!"

Sarah turned on the light, which came on without incident. Betty smiled as she stepped down off the chair. Flash just shook his head.

"Wait, you don't work here, you can't just come in and start messing with..."

"I'd say I'm doing you a favour! Have you seen the state this place is in? What kind of useless twit do you have doing maintenance here?" Betty asked him.

"I laid off the maintenance department." Flash told her. "I out-source..."

"Of course you do." Betty told him. "Well, I guess I'll hang around a little. If my granddaughter's going to work here, I'd like it to look like a respectable establishment."

"Now see here..."

"Besides, it's not like you're paying me anything." Betty reminded him. "So, you can throw me out, or I can stick around."

"You're...you're working for free?" He asked her. He just shrugged. "Fair enough."

With that, he walked out of the shop, Betty just shook her head in disbelief.

"So that's the jerkoff that took my Doodlebug's job eh?" She asked.

"That would be the boss, yes." Sarah answered. She just let out a sigh.

"I hate to tell you this, but your boss is an idiot." Betty stated rather bluntly. "Say, that's a nice job you're doing here."

"Oh, I had a really misspent youth playing Tetris." Sarah told her with a little laugh. "I'm Sarah by the way."

"Betty." Betty introduced herself, shaking her hand. "So, is there anything else in here that's busted?"

"Well, the register is kind of temperamental." Sarah answered.

"Then I'll get right on it." Betty stated. "So, is your boss a total buzz kill or can we play some music in here?"

"I have some Jordi Webber on my I-Pod." Sarah stated. "He's my favourite singer!"

"Jordi Webber the country star?" Betty asked her, pointing to Sarah with a screwdriver. "I have a feeling you and I are going to get along just fine kiddo."

The team assembled in the lab after quickly gathering some things. Between the times they had been called away suddenly and Kendall's rather embarrassing incident with the wish monster, they had all made a habit of having some clothing and supplies ready in the lab, packed and ready to go. They were all grateful for the opportunity to change out of their uniforms.

Kendall pulled up a map on the computer.

"From GMa Betty's E-mails, I think I figured out roughly where she was when she found the lens." Kendall told them. "Comparing them to my notes, it looks like it wasn't far from the glacier where my dig team found Koda."

"I tell you! I know I see before!" Koda called out, smiling brightly.

"You mean that this came from...?"

"It probably came from somewhere around about Koda's home." Kendall told them. "We had planned to go further into the mountains, but the winter storms drove us back. We would have gone back, but finding Koda was the biggest find in the field in...well...ever!"

"So you think this could be from Koda's home?" Shelby asked her. Kendall just nodded.

"I think all the circumstantial evidence points that way." Kendall replied, looking to the Blue Ranger. "Koda, the region we were in was mostly cliffs. It's remained largely unchanged by man in thousands of years. If we take you there, do you think you can recognise the area?"

"I think so." Koda told her.

"Alight then, I've already fired off an e-mail to Flash, we'll just fire up the Plesio Zord and get going." Kendall announced.

"Why do we need to take the Plesio Zord?" Ivan asked. "The Ptera Zord flies too."

"Who's the head of the dig team?" Kendall asked him. Ivan didn't say anything. "Then we take my Zord. Come on guys! We're going to Alaska!"


	21. An Arbitrary Line

It didn't take long for the Rangers to get to Alaska. It was one of the benefits of their technology. It took them a lot longer to locate the trail into the mountains than it did to get there. Kendall was checking her GPS to ensure that they were where they were meant to be.

"Well, this seems rather bleak." Riley commented, looking around. It wasn't winter, but being considerably further north than they were used to, the climate was not as warm as most of the team would have liked. He had a feeling that any later in the year; they would have needed considerably heavier clothing.

"It's not so bad." Chase replied with a shrug. "New Zealand in the winter isn't far off this."

"Zandar is like this most of the year." Ivan told them. "Then again, when I lived there we hadn't developed central heating. I couldn't comment on what it's like now."

"I think we're on the right path." Kendall said, checking her GPS device. "I entered as many details as I could from my old notes, and the glacier we found Koda in was..."

"I know this place." Koda told them, rousing everyone's attention. They all looked at him as he started to get his bearings. He looked to a nearby tree, and before anyone could stop him, he scrambled up it, into some of the higher branches. He shielded his eyes as he looked around. "Over there, hunting grounds. We hunt there many times." He remarked. Shelby had one of her text books out, and was checking it out.

"Large, flat, good irrigation...those would be prime grazing sites for mammoth!" Shelby confirmed. Koda leapt down out of the tree, landing next to her. He scrambled around on the ground a little way, finding an area among some rocks. In it, there was a spear head that had been driven into the ground, with only the smallest amount of shaft still attached.

"I born here." He told them with a huge smile on his face. "Mother on mammoth hunt when she have me. My tribe not manage to get her back to cave in time. She leave this here to mark spot."

He started to sprint off, hopping up some nearby rocks quickly. The rest of the team didn't have much option but to follow him. Eventually, they found their way into some caves. As they stepped inside, Shelby and Kendall could hardly believe what they saw.

"Oh my God, this place is INCREDIBLE!" Shelby remarked, immediately pulling out her camera and starting to take pictures.

"This...this my home!" Koda declared with a bright smile, looking around the cave in delight. Although it was clear it had been some time since anyone had been living there, the caves, due to the difficult terrain, seemed to have remained largely untouched.

"It's definitely Paeleolific alright." Kendall said with a huge grin on her face. It had been quite some time since she had been on a genuine dig, and the excitement of it all, the discovery was all flooding back to her. "I don't think anyone's ever found something this...intact before. Normally when we find sites a lot of things have already been removed."

"A lot of dangerous animals in area, many sabre tooth tiger." Koda told her. "My grandfather say his elders build this here because it hard to get to."

"It definitely worked." Chase agreed.

"This is really where your family lived?" Shelby asked.

"100,000 years ago." Ivan marvelled. Even he was impressed by this sight. While he came from a time with more basic technology, they did indeed have technology. They built their homes rather than make do with pre-existing caves.

"Yes, we make this cave." Koda told them.

"Wait...made it?" Shelby asked him. "I thought you lived in caves that were here already."

"We find good caves, then dig them out, reinforce with other stone, make more room for family." Koda told her. "This where we sleep, by fire."

"These pictures are just beautiful!" Kendall gasped, running her hand over some of the paintings on the walls.

"We use berry juice and mammoth poop." He told her. "Around walls are all our stories."

"Who's this cheerful chap?" Chase asked, pointing to a figure, painted with a very grumpy looking expression and a big stick in his hand. Koda smiled.

"That my grandfather, he was leader of tribe at one time, but when I born, he was too old and hurt to lead us in hunt." Koda told them. "He make rules for whole tribe. He'd always say things like 'Always keep cave tidy! Never waste a kill; always use all pelt, meat and bone!'."

"Then I guess we can confirm all parents have been like that through the ages." Tyler chuckled. "My mom was always like that too."

"And my dad." Shelby chipped in. Koda went to another part of the cave.

"This my story." Koda told them. "Here, I born on mammoth hunt. Here, this when I go on first hunt...I almost get stomped flat when I get too close. This when I..."

His words tailed off. Kendall came over, looking at the pictures. They could see the figure and what looked roughly like a cat falling over a cliff. Shortly after that, there was a symbol. Although Koda's tribe pre-dated all known religions by a significant margin, Kendall couldn't mistake the meaning.

"Koda, there are people today that wouldn't be able to begin to understand what happened to you. In your day, they probably...

"This my little brother Taku." Koda told her. "I fight tiger to protect him."

"It goes on quite some way." Kendall remarked. Koda just nodded.

"He grow up big and strong." Koda made out from the pictures. "In time, he become leader of tribe. Have many sons and daughters..."

His words tailed off again as he it hit him. Although it had been explained to him that his people were long since gone, and that those he knew would have passed away thousands of years previously, it was only now that Koda could see the life he had left behind. He didn't know what happened to Taku, or the rest of his people after he was frozen.

"I always protect Taku, look after him." Koda said, wiping away some tears. "When I gone, he become great hero. He grow up strong..."

"Hey, he got there because of you." Kendall reassured him, putting her arm around Koda and holding him warmly. "If it wasn't for you, he'd have been cat food."

"He become great man." Koda said with a nod, drying his tears. "I proud of little brother."

"Just as I'm sure he was proud of you." Kendall told him. He turned around just in time to see Riley and Ivan inspecting a line of stones on the ground.

"Say Koda, this is the only side-chamber that's marked off in this way." Riley pointed out. "What's down here?"

"I not know." Koda told them honestly.

"You don't know?" Shelby asked him, looking a little surprised.

"That forbidden part of cave." Koda told them. "Grandfather always say 'never go into forbidden part of cave! It very dangerous!' I step over rocks once as young boy, but grandfather grab me and hit me with stick until I learn lesson."

"Ouch!" Tyler commented. "What could be down there that was so important?"

"Some Palaeolithic versions of 'Playboy' on the walls?" Chase suggested. Shelby just smacked him across the back of the head. "OW!"

"I not know, I never go into that part of cave." Koda told them.

"Well, your grandfather isn't here now is he?" Ivan suggested, with a slightly devilish look on his face. Koda didn't look to be too convinced, but he could see the curious looks on the faces of the other Rangers. He went to the line of rocks, and closing his eyes, he reached a foot over, almost like he was expecting to be snatched back by an angry tribal elder and beaten at any moment, but as his foot touched the ground on the other side, it felt...just like the rest of the cave. He opened his eyes, looking to his foot on the forbidden side of the line and smiled. He hopped from one foot to the other over the rocks, showing disdain for what he now saw to be no magical barrier, but just an arbitrary line on the ground.

"See, nothing happened." Shelby told him.

"Yes, rocks not important." Koda answered. "Silly rule!"

As he disappeared deeper into the cave, the others followed him as he made his trip into the mysterious forbidden world that only his grandfather was allowed to see.

Back at the museum, Flash made his way into the cafe, finding Allison and Leanne working hard to keep things ticking over. As he came in, he seemed to be looking for something.

"Flash, have you come about the order?" Allison asked her.

"Order, what order?" He asked her.

"I put in a requisition order for more burger buns, the ones we have are all stale!" Allison told him.

"Stale? What do you mean stale?" He asked her in response.

"I mean I could use them to bludgeon a buffalo to death!" Allison told him, picking one up and smacking it off the counter to make her point. "Have you seen the use-by date on them? They only had a few days on them when the order arrived!"

"I got a cracking deal on them because..."

"It's not a 'cracking deal' if I can't sell them!" Allison protested.

"Of course you can! Just sprinkle a little water on them and run them through the microwave, simple!" He answered. Allison just shook her head in disbelief. If anyone else had suggested that, she'd have presumed they were joking. "Have you seen any of the others?"

"They're not here." Allison told him.

"Well I can see that, but...where are they?" He asked her.

"They headed off on a dig, there were reports of an early-human settlement that they went to check out." Allison told him.

"Early human...you mean like cave-man?" He asked her. Allison just nodded. "Hm...I have an idea...wait...they all left?"

"They are a dig team, that's kind of what they do." Allison answered sarcastically. Flash just glared at her.

"They just left without telling me?" He snapped in response.

"Ms Morgan left you an E-mail." Allison said as she pulled out some lettuce, and groaned. "REALLY? This lettuce is about as fresh as the exhibits on display!"

"Just cut the brown bits off." He said, waving her off. "Who even cares about salad on a burger anyway?"

"Look, I know we're a burger joint, but you can't seriously expect me to serve this shit..."

"That is EXACTLY what I expect you to do." Flash said rather aggressively. "I don't ask you to make Michelin Star quality food; all I ask you to do is cook the bloody food I give you."

"But the food is..."

"IF you can't do that, then I can easily find someone that can!" Flash said, closing in uncomfortably close to Allison. She ended up leaning backwards over the counter as he had her pinned up against it, advancing on her and leaving her with nowhere to go. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Perfectly." Allison stammered. He backed off a little.

"Consider that a verbal warning. I'm sick fed up of your snide little remarks about this place." He told her, grabbing her face and pressing her cheeks together, pursing her lips. "Next time I hear a word from that pretty little mouth of yours, it'll be a disciplinary matter. Now, get to work."

As he left, Allison breathed a sigh of relief. She'd made no secret of the fact she didn't like Flash, and didn't think much about the way he ran the museum, but given how close he'd gotten, she was honestly terrified. He was so much bigger than her, getting right into her personal space was a clear intimidation tactic, one that had unfortunately worked. She went to the coffee machine to get herself some espresso and tried to compose herself to get on with the rest of her shift.

Back in Alaska, the team were finding very quickly that the caves extended much further than they had originally believed. While Chase's idea that this was just where the men would keep stuff that they didn't want the women of the tribe to see was quickly dismissed, it looked like this section of the cave contained a lot more paintings, and also some tools and suchlike that weren't shared in the main cave.

"What...what is all this stuff?" Shelby asked.

"Tools, plans...it looks like some kind of workshop." Riley commented.

"I'd say more like a laboratory." Kendall added, picking something up. It was a small rod with a kind of small hook in the end. She also found a spear which had a notch in the end of it that seemed to indicate that they went together. "Shelby, do you know what this is?"

"I'm not sure; it looks a little like..."

"An atlatl!" Kendall confirmed, nodding her head. She saw the guys looking at her confused. "It was a hooked stick used to help throw a spear further. It was kind of a way to increase the length of the throwing arm."

"So?" Chase asked her.

"An atlatl was used by the Aztecs...who founded their first cities in 500AD!" She informed Chase. "This technology is way beyond what anyone believes people of Koda's age were making."

"Then how about this?" Riley asked her, picking up what was clearly meant to be a bow. It wasn't strung, and looked like it had been abandoned, along with the arrows. "It looks like they had problems getting a material that had the propulsion they were looking for."

"Check this out!" Tyler said, showing them a very small buggy-like creation, made with four tiny, rounded stones on axis. "Koda, I thought you were kidding when you said your uncle invented the wheel!"

"Ms Morgan, this stuff is incredible! Koda's tribe was working on concepts people believe weren't used for centuries after their day!" Shelby shrieked. "This is an absolute goldmine!"

"I absolutely agree!" Kendall answered. "Shelby, start taking pictures! Riley, take detailed notes, I want everything catalogued in detail, I want to be able to re-create this place exactly to the millimetre...Riley? Riley?"

She turned around and saw Chase and Riley inspecting a door, which looked like it had been completely filled in with rocks, which were held in place by a mammoth tusk that had been jammed in place.

"What do you suppose is in here?" Riley asked.

"Um...maybe we shouldn't..."

"Come on Shelby, you've seen how incredible the rest of this place is, just imagine what could be behind the forbidden door in the forbidden part of the cave!" Chase said, with the kind of logic that he could follow.

"Guys, those marks at the bottom of the tusk look suspiciously like tool marks." Kendall informed them, pointing to some markings on the bottom of the tusk. "It looks like whoever wedged that in there went to a lot of effort to ensure it wouldn't come out..."

"Too late milady." Ivan said as they removed the tusk, causing a couple of the smaller rocks to tumble down.

"Alright, we need to bring all these down nice and carefully..." Riley started to say, before there was an ominous light shining through the cracks left in the rock. They could feel something shifting.

"Um...maybe we should put that back." Ivan suggested. "Quickly!"

However, before they could do anything to stop it, the rocks flew out, scattering the team. A dark form flew out of the cave and straight past them.

"What was that?" Tyler asked. "Did you guys see that?"

"It was kind of hard to miss!" Chase answered. "What the hell was that?"

"I'm betting if it's something that's still alive after 100,000 years trapped behind a wall it's probably not something good!" Riley stated. Koda just glared at him. "You know what I meant!"

The team regained their feet and ran outside, in search of whatever it was they had released. They didn't have to look too far; it seemed the creature had exerted a lot of its energy just getting out of its prison.

It was a hideous, and strange creature. It appeared to be made up of palm trees, with its right arm being that of a lobster, and its left, appearing to be an ice-cream cone. It had an inflatable ring around its waist, and a kind of garland around its neck. Its mouth held many jagged teeth.

"I'm going out on a limb and suggesting that's what we just released!" Chase stated.

"Finally, after all this time I'm free!" The creature screeched. It pointed its ice-cream cone arm straight at Koda. "You! You remind me of that stupid caveman that imprisoned me!"

They all looked to Koda.

"Grandfather tell me stories of a monster...I thought they only stories!" Koda rushed out.

"He might be gone, so you'll all have to do instead!" The creature screamed as it ran straight for them. "Time for some payback!"


	22. An Impromtu Vacation

The Rangers were thrown around as they tried to take on the latest monster. They had seen that it hadn't managed to go far and were hoping to take it out before it returned to full power; unfortunately it seemed to still be pretty strong.

"Dude, this thing hits at least as hard as a Spikeball." Tyler grumbled as he hit the rock face.

"It felt more like vivik." Koda remarked.

"I suppose after a hundred thousand years to rest..."

"A hundred thousand years without food or water!" Shelby reminded Ivan as she jumped on the creature's back, trying to hold it in place. "How's it even alive?"

"We have no idea what its physiology is." Kendall said as she ran at the creature, only to get kicked back. "It might..."

"How about we save the analysis for AFTER we destroy the monster we just unleashed?" Chase asked them. Shelby and Kendall just looked at each other.

"WE?" They shot out incredulously.

The monster, known as Leisure, was well aware she was still not strong enough to take on a major battle. She had indeed been sealed away by the caveman for longer than most should have been alive. She had little need for physical sustenance, but the one thing she needed, the one thing she had been denied by being imprisoned underground, was sunlight.

Her physiology bore more than a passing similarity to many plants. It needed very little in the way of nutrients, she had managed to get the sustenance and moisture she needed to survive from the mosses that grew through the rocks in the cave. However, she got most of her strength, her power from sunlight.

As soon as the door was opened, she had rushed outside, not even stopping to fight. She knew that she had very little strength, certainly not enough for a prolonged fight, and she needed to get into direct sunlight as soon as possible.

While still a long way from her full power, she could feel her strength returning the longer she was outside. Now that she was back outside, she could make humanity pay for her indignity. She was certain those who had imprisoned her would long since have died, but...there was a chance at least that some of those that were left were descended from those that had imprisoned her.

However, even as her strength was returning, she started to realise that fighting these humans, while satisfying for the visceral joy of inflicting direct pain, was foolhardy. Those she had fought the last time were strong, but these humans appeared to be so much stronger. Was it possible this was how humans had evolved? Their blows seemed to hit a lot harder than she remembered.

"I'm stronger than I look, aren't I?" Leisure screeched, trying to give off the illusion of power in the face of these enemies as she threw the last one down. "Down you go?"

"Koda, you said your grandfather told you stories about this monster!" Kendall rushed out. "What do you remember?"

"My memory fuzzy but..."

"Later losers!" Leisure cackled as she launched herself into the air, jetting straight up like a rocket. Koda's eyes suddenly grew very wide. His blood ran cold as he remembered his grandfather's tale.

"I remember now!" He called out, grabbing Kendall, lifting her clean off the ground. "We must get inside! NOW!"

He ran for the cave, while the others were still trying to get up, diving into the cave and sprawling himself and Kendall onto the ground.

"Koda, what are you...?"

"Everyone inside!" He yelled to his friends. However, his warning came too late. As his friends were just starting to run towards the cave, suddenly a warm, orange glow came down, bathing the entire landscape in a glorious light. He and Kendall could feel the heat increasing dramatically, though rather than being uncomfortable, it was...it was wonderful! It was just a perfect, wonderful temperature. Kendall heard some whoops of delight from the Rangers that were caught in the rays.

"Wow, feel that sunshine!" Tyler declared joyfully.

"Man, I just want to soak up these sweet rays!" Chase agreed, spinning around on the spot as he looked up into the sky.

"Guys, what are you doing?" Kendall asked, moving to head out to get them. Koda snatched her back, just in time as only her hand caught a little of the sunlight. She could suddenly feel something that didn't feel right at all. While she had been on many expeditions, Kendall had never been a sun-worshipper.

She'd suffered a terrible dose of heat-stroke in Cairo that hospitalised her for several days on her first dig, and since then she never went anywhere without factor 50 and a number of fans for the base camp. However, even her minute exposure to this sun sent a wave washing over her, that made her want to do nothing more than rip off her jacket and run out into the sun, perhaps break out a barbecue and a swimming costume. She shook her head, trying to think clearly. None of this sounded like fun at all to her, but right now, she felt a barely-resistible urge to join the others.

"Chillax boss lady!" Shelby said in a way that didn't sound right at all. While she and Shelby had butted heads on occasion, there was always respect. She had always referred to Kendall by her preferred title of 'Ms Morgan', even when they were fighting. "I'm officially on vacation!"

"What is wrong with them?" Kendall asked, looking to her hand, and thinking about the feelings she had. Koda turned her to face him.

"I remember grandfather's story now. If we go out into sunlight, we be like them." Koda explained to her. "Monster's sunshine make everyone stop working. No one gather wood for fire, no one hunt, my people starve."

Kendall continued to stare at her hand. She was confident the power of her Energem was already working to reduce the effects of the spell, but if she was honest, there was still a large part of her that wondered if she had remembered to pack a bikini and some beach towels. It was almost overwhelming. Thinking about it, it made sense as a plan. If everyone stopped working, if the world grinded to a halt, it would only be a matter of time before important things were neglected. The emergency services would stop responding to calls. No one would cook for themselves; no one would fight if they were in danger...

"What did your grandfather do?" Kendall asked him. "He managed to defeat this thing with no Ranger powers whatsoever. If he did it, then we should be able to as well."

Koda had to think hard. It wasn't that he didn't respect his grandfather, but by the time he knew him, he was an old man, with little function in the tribe as a whole. He was much too old to go and hunt or gather, and so he spent his days in the cave, taking care of the young, telling them his stories. There were so many rules and so many stories that somewhere along the way, Koda just stopped paying attention. He had seen no evidence that monsters such as the one his grandfather described had ever existed, and so he thought it was just one of the stories he made up to scare the kids into doing their chores.

"I...I not know." Koda told her honestly. "But...I think that lens GMa find in cave very important!"

"Alight, then we need to get everyone back to Amber Beach." Kendall stated. "We just need to figure out how to get out of this cave without being affected."

She thought about it for a moment, before a thought occurred to her. She pulled out her morpher, activating it.

"What doing?" Koda asked her.

"The suits are designed to protect against harmful radiation." Kendall told him. "I've been affected a little, so it's best that I test my theory in case I'm wrong, but it's possible the suits will protect us."

She stepped out into the sunlight cautiously, and was delighted to find that she didn't seem to be affected...at least, no more than she was before. She looked back to Koda.

"Alright, it seems to work." She told him. "Now we just need to round up the others and get them back to the Plesio Zord."

"Easier said than done." Koda replied as he saw the team running around, playing some kind of catch game as he morphed. Kendall rolled her eyes.

"Oh good grief!" She muttered. "HEY GUYS!"

They all stopped their game and stared at her.

"Who wants all the ice cream they can eat?" She called out. Like that, the other Rangers were only too happy to follow.

Back at the museum, Betty was out the back, fixing some shelves in the storage room when she found Allison sitting on a crate, her hands shaking as she held onto a cup of coffee. She was shaking so much that she was in danger of it slopping over the sides and scalding her.

Allison could only think about what had happened in the kitchen. She didn't really know how to describe what happened. It wasn't as though Flash had threatened her with violence, though, with him standing so close to her she could only think about how much bigger he was, and think about how easy it would be for him to lash out at her. When he grabbed her, she had nowhere to go, and there was no one around to help her. She was perfectly certain that if one of her friends was there, the whole thing would have gone very differently.

She felt a hand on her wrists, steadying her hands, and looked up, seeing GMa Betty's kindly older face smiling down at her.

"You know in my day, when we got the shakes that bad, we generally considered caffeine a very bad idea." Betty told her. Allison just gulped and nodded.

"I pretty much run on the stuff." She commented. "Maybe it's about time I cut down a little."

"You know, for an Aussie, you are pretty pale, and you look like you've lightened up a few shades since I saw you this morning." Betty stated, sitting with her. "Why do I get the feeling that this is nothing to do with a few too many cappuccinos?"

"I...I got in a little trouble with the boss." Allison told her. "He gave me a verbal warning."

"Is that all?" Betty laughed as she heard her say this. "If I had a dollar for every time I got a warning from an employer in my career, I'd be living like Andrew Hartford!"

"I know, I got a few myself from a few previous jobs." Allison told her. "But this is a job I really like; this is one I'm actually good at!"

She could see the way Betty was looking at her, not saying a word and couldn't help smiling in response.

"I...wasn't always the greatest at being an employee. I got fired from pretty much every job I ever had before I got here." Allison told her. "The last one, I got fired because I forgot to charge an entire dining room full of customers because I was too busy flirting with Chase."

"The big Kiwi?" Betty asked her. Allison just nodded. "I can see the appeal."

"The thing is, when I started working here, I was...I just...I found that I actually started caring about the job, that I really started to invest in what I was doing." Allison told her. "Now that I'm actually doing a good job though, now that I have pride in my work, I'm getting told I'm no good and the thought of actually losing it..."

She couldn't bring herself to say it.

"I know there are other jobs out there, but I really like this one." Allison admitted. "And it's not just because of Chase. I actually feel like what I do here matters..."

"You know about my Doodlebug and her friends don't you?" Betty asked her. Allison just stared at her. "My family has had two generations of heroes now. Do you really think Doodlebug hasn't told me everything?"

"She always said..."

"Like I said, she's the second generation in my family. My daughter's already done this dance." Betty reminded her.

"I guess it just hurts to be told I'm doing a bad job when I'm really trying." Allison told her. Betty just patted her on the hand gently.

"I've seen your work. You do a great job in here." Betty assured her. "If that blowhard doesn't see that, well, it just means he's a bigger idiot than I thought."

"Thanks. That really means a lot." Allison told her. Betty could see though that she was still holding something back. She still seemed very quiet.

"Are you sure that's all that's bothering you?" Betty asked her. However, they were interrupted as Leanne ran through from the restaurant.

"Hey, Allison, you really need to come back through here!" Leanne told her.

"Um...what's going on?" Allison asked her.

"You're not going to believe this!" Leanne said in reply as they went through. Arriving in the cafe, they found the whole place was full, the place was filling to overflowing! Every table and booth was now filled with people, many of whom were dressed extremely oddly.

"What the hell?" Allison asked. "The lunch rush finished, there shouldn't be another rush until..."

"They all say they're on vacation!" Leanne explained. Allison furrowed her brows.

"ALL of them?" Allison asked. "It looks like half the neighbourhood is..."

"Hey, can I get some service here?" A guy asked as he approached the counter, wearing only a pair of swim shorts and carrying a surfboard. "I've been riding waves all day and I am PARCHED!"

"Sir...we generally require people to be wearing shoes...and a shirt...and...you know...any kind of clothes at all!" Leanne offered. Flash was over at the counter like a shot.

"Who cares if he's wearing a tutu? Have you seen all these customers!" He said, practically drooling at the thought of all that money running through the register. "Well, what are you all waiting for? Get to work!"

"I'll man the kitchen." Allison looked to her.

"Betty, you don't actually work here..."

"Are you turning down help at a time like this?" Betty asked her as Flash went away, presumably to start planning how to report his earnings to Anton. "What do you think that jerk off can do, fire me?"

"Alright then, I guess we're doing this." Allison answered, manning the register. "Alright sir, now that we've established our new dress code, what can I get you?"

Meanwhile, on Heckyl's ship, Heckyl was in his command chair, taking in the latest news reports. He was already preparing his next monster for his latest scheme when he was told that something strange was going on in the city. He watched as the local news anchor was leaving his office building.

"All over the city, people are leaving their businesses and offices and going on an impromptu vacation." The anchor stated as he walked out, showing the people of Amber Beach, lounging around in the unnatural sunlight. He stepped out just beyond the entranceway to the news building, inadvertently ending up in the sunlight himself. His expression immediately changed and he started ripping off his jacket and his shirt. "And so am I! Come on Gerry; get your ass out here! I want to play Frisbee!"

"YOU!" Heckyl roared in an accusatory tone, shooting forward in his chair as he saw a monster in the corner. "You did this! Without my permission? Didn't you Loafer?"

"I...I didn't do nothin'!" The monster cowered, seeing the rage in Heckyl's face and expecting a swift and brutal reprisal. "It...it must be my twin sister Leisure!"

"Twin sister?" Heckyl yelled. "Do you really expect me to believe that? I'm not some lame-brained twit like Sledge! You think insulting my...?"

"No, he's right! Look!" Wrench said, pulling up a satellite image, showing an identical creature in space, channelling the sun's rays through her, and sending down her own version of them. "She's beaming her rays down to Earth; it makes everyone want to go on vacation! According to the prison records, his sister was sent down to the planet at the same time as Fury!"

"She was, I was going to use her to clear out all the creatures to make the Energems easier to find!" Fury confirmed. "But she disappeared!"

Heckyl got up, hearing this new information. He was well aware of Loafer's powers, what he didn't know was that he had a twin sister with the same abilities. Why she had turned up now, or taken it upon herself to act was beyond him though. He started making his way towards Loafer.

"Well, that sister of yours has just turned half the planet into lazy slackers!" He snapped at him. "And if she doesn't let up, in another 12 hours, she'll have turned the rest as well!"

"I'm so sorry master; I could always go and get her to turn off the light!" Loafer suggested. "Even though we monsters are immune to it."

"Immune?" Heckyl asked, holding up a hand as he thought about this new information. "You mean, that anyone goes out into the sun will immediately not want to do any kind of work at all, even the Power Rangers...all except for us?"

"I...I guess so." Loafer stammered, trying to think about where Heckyl was going with his plan. Heckyl gave him that unsettling smile that was almost worse than his anger in terrifying his followers.

"This is PERFECT!" Heckyl announced. "While the Rangers are on vacation, we'll be hard at work, stealing their Energems!"

As he left to go and discuss his plans with Fury and Singe, little did he know that Poisandra had already overheard him, and were already on their way to show the Rangers a vacation they would never forget.


	23. Wisdom of Ages

Koda and Kendall came into the Dino Lab, finally able to safely de-morph now they were out of Leisure's sun rays. Their suits managed to keep them safe from the effects of her power, blocking the radiation, but they were now left in the position of having to figure out how to counteract her power.

No one would be able to stay indoors forever, and so far anyone who ventured outside quickly lost all desire to do anything other than have fun, play, relax and otherwise act like they were on vacation, without a care or responsibility in the world. Kendall had only taken a short blast to her hand, and she was only just getting past the temptation to find the nearest beach and blow off her responsibilities. She got to the lab, ready to begin working, but on what exactly...that was a little more up in the air! Her cell phone started to ring, at which she answered it, seeing that it was Margaret on the other end.

"Margaret, I was just about to call, I might need Phillipe's help..."

"It was Phillipe I was calling about actually." Margaret told her. "Is there any reason in particular he's in the park across the street playing?"

"He's...playing in the sandpit?" Kendall asked with a groan, covering her eyes with her hand.

"Um...right now he's making a replica of the Royal Palace in the sand pit." Margaret told her. Kendall realised what was likely to have happened. Not knowing the danger, Phillipe was probably outside when the rays hit, while Margaret as a result of her current condition didn't leave the Embassy often. "It's quite impressive, but he was meant to be meeting with the Secretary of..."

"Margaret, I know this sounds strange, but whatever you do, do NOT go outside!" Kendall warned her. "A monster did something to the sunlight, anyone that goes out into the sun..."

"Starts acting like its Spring Break?" Margaret asked. "Now his security detail are having a Super Soaker battle on the lawn!"

"Just...stay inside; I need to figure something out!" Kendall told her, before putting her phone away and face-palming. "Good grief, that's all we need; now there's only two of us."

"What do now?" Koda asked her. Kendall took a moment to think.

"Alright Koda, this is really important now." Kendall told him, trying to get the cave man to focus. While Koda had never dealt with Leisure directly, having not been born when his Grandfather sealed her away, he was the closest thing they had to someone who had direct experience. He had heard his grandfather tell stories about the monster. "I want you to think really hard about this, really, really focus...your grandfather told you how he beat this monster before. Do you remember anything about how he did it?"

"I...I not know, I...I not really listen." Koda said regretfully, thinking back to the times he had heard his grandfather telling his stories as he tended to the young while the other members of the tribe went to gather food and pelts. "My grandfather, he tell a lot of stories, some seem very unbelievable, like time he say he see fish swallow whole boat with five members of tribe in one bite!"

"Your people had boats?" Kendall asked, before shaking her head. While this was interesting information, since as far as common wisdom was concerned, mankind didn't really figure out the useful aspects of buoyancy and didn't really use boats for several years after Koda's day, now was not the time for professional curiosity. She could ask all the questions she wanted once half the planet wasn't in danger of falling to pieces while people spent all day sunbathing. "Please, think very hard..."

"I no remember! I not listen much to stories, my grandfather, most of kids..." He tailed off a little as a sense of shame washed over him. "He get mixed up, he forget things and mix things up. He only left with young because he too old to go work. Most children think...he kind of joke."

Kendall could understand what he meant. Sadly, it seemed that even in his day sometimes the young tended to de-value the contributions of their elders. From what Koda had told her, and what little she had seen and heard, his grandfather had indeed been a great man. He was a great hunter, a legendary warrior; one that had defeated a monster without any Ranger powers whatsoever! He and many of his comrades were working on scientific concepts and inventions centuries beyond their time; however it seemed that unfortunately, like many, there was some degradation over time. When Koda spoke of him getting confused and forgetting things, that was just a part of aging for many people, and that was even before one considered the fact it would be over a hundred thousand years before anyone would even know of the concept of conditions like Alzheimer's and dementia. It was sad, but not unexpected that by the time Koda's generation came along, many of them doubted the kind of man his grandfather had been.

"Alright, so if what he TOLD you is questionable, maybe there's something he left behind when he was younger." Kendall suggested, hooking up Shelby's camera to the computer and pulling up images of all the cave paintings they had painstakingly catalogued. While Koda's grandfather might have been an unreliable orator in his old age, it was clear his mind was highly advanced and sophisticated in his youth. If he was anything like the scientists of the modern era, Kendall was sure that he had to have documented his thoughts and discoveries in any way he could. "These cave paintings; you're the only one that can read them accurately. The answer has to be in here somehow."

Koda looked over the paintings for some time, trying to find the relevant ones. A whole lifetime in cave paintings really was quite a lot. The only thing he knew for sure was that it had something to do with the lens GMa Betty had found when she had gone to the cave. He saw some paintings that looked like the monster they were facing, and something else...

"Here." Koda told her. "He use this."

Kendall had a look at the painting. It didn't say much, but from what little she saw, it showed some kind of contraption that held the lens, which was positioned between the sun and some stick figures who were now carrying spears and working again.

"He used this?" Kendall asked. She looked through some more photographs, finding some pictures of wooden strips that they had seen on the floor of the cave. They looked too long and thin to be of much use as tools or weapons, and they had been kept for some reason when their most valuable use would have been as kindling.

"GMa said she found the lens here, that must be part of this structure." Kendall surmised. "We have to re-create this. It'll take a while, but I should be able to build this with a little help."

"A little help?" They heard a voice asking. Sarah was bounding into the lab, causing Kendall to groan.

"Koda, would you go and get the others inside?" Kendall asked him. They were still in the Plesio Zord, where she had opted to leave them for safe keeping.

"Sarah, what are you doing down here?" She asked.

"The gift shop is dead; everyone's just going to the cafe!" Sarah told them. "I flipped the sign and closed up about an hour ago, no one's noticed the difference."

"Sarah, this is..."

"You want to build this right?" Sarah asked, pointing to the picture. Kendall just looked to her.

"Well...yes, but we..."

"Do you have any spare steel strips?" Sarah asked, grabbing a welding torch. "I can have this whipped up in about an hour..."

"Sarah, I appreciate the offer of help, but this is really important..."

"...And many hands make light work." Keeper announced as he appeared in the room. Sarah's eyes grew wide.

"That...was...AWESOME!" She shrieked excitedly. "Oh...do that again!"

"Keeper, this really isn't..."

"If perhaps I could have a word?" Keeper said as he gestured Kendall aside. Kendall followed him a little way from Sarah to speak to her. "The girl only wants to help."

"Keeper, she's a civilian..."

"And she has taken on this knowledge and responsibility willingly." Keeper reminded her.

"Keeper, she really shouldn't get involved, this can get dangerous!" Kendall reminded him.

"I understand your desire to keep the girl safe, but she is not taking on any risks she has not volunteered for." Keeper reiterated. "Besides, it's not like she's going into the field. If this is something she can help with, perhaps it is best to accept help where we can get it."

Kendall just took off her glasses, before looking to Sarah.

"Do you even know how to use that thing?" Kendall asked her. Sarah sparked up the welding torch on the first shot with a sparking flint.

"I've been arc-welding since I was 12!" Sarah assured her. "I take my cosplay VERY seriously!"

Kendall just stared at her.

"Um...can we pretend I didn't just say that out loud?" She asked, before pointing aside. "I'll just...um...yeah."

"Why do I get the feeling I'll regret this?" Kendall asked, before turning to see that Keeper had already disappeared. "Damn I hate when he does that!"

"Kendall, we have big problem!" Koda told her, running back into the room. "The guys, they gone!"

"Great, what else can go wrong?" She asked. "Koda, you morph and look for the others. We'll work on this."

Koda just nodded in understanding, before running out of the Dino Lab, morphing as he went.

In the city park, Poisandra and Curio were stalking the Rangers. They had escaped from the Plesio Zord, getting restless when there was so much fun to be had and gone in search of something more interesting to do once they realised the promised ice-cream wasn't coming. They had found a place that rented out bikes of all shapes and sizes, and since no one was around, the owner likely having abandoned the shop to go enjoy the sun, they had just left some money and taken bikes for themselves.

"There they are!" Poisandra said gleefully as she saw them on a cycling path that went around the entire perimeter of the park. Tyler was just setting himself up on a unicycle, while Riley and Shelby had opted for a tandem, and Ivan and Chase had gone for kind of a pedal-powered cart of sorts with a sun awning.

"Look at them, they won't suspect a thing!" Curio giggled. "This should be easier than taking candy from a baby!"

"Wait, they're moving off...HEY COME BACK!" Poisandra screamed as they raced off. She and Curio had to steal a couple of bikes that were lying by the side of the path while their owners were playing Frisbee. It took them a while to catch up, but pulling alongside Tyler, Poisandra was reaching for his Energem when he noticed her.

"Hey, are you guys on vacation too?" He asked her.

"Uuuummmm..."

"Then let's vacation together!" Tyler called out. "Guys, let's have a race! Last one around the park buys the ice-cream!"

"You got it mate!" Chase rushed out as they all started pedalling furiously. Backed by Energem power, they were quickly pulling away from Poisandra and her cushioned sidekick.

"Hey, ice-creams are on Poisandra if she doesn't hurry up!" Shelby teased her. "Hope you brought plenty of cash, because I am HUNGRY!"

With whoops of delight, the Rangers raced around the park as Poisandra and Curio struggled to catch up, beginning to think that perhaps this wouldn't be as simple as they had first thought.

In the cafe, things were starting to get frantic. There were far more people in the restaurant than it had ever been designed to hold! The customers seemed happy enough, all of them with a serious case of vacation-brain, but for the staff, things were getting pretty fraught. Everyone except Flash was feeling the pressure, while Flash was the only one that was delighted, hearing the cash registers going off ten to the dozen.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, where are you taking those?" Flash asked as he saw Allison taking some cups out the back.

"They're empties." Allison told him.

"There's still loads in them!" Flash told her.

"They're half empty!" Allison responded. Flash just looked at her.

"To thirsty customers they're half-full!" He replied. "Put in some more ice, top them up and put in new straws, no one's any the wiser!

Allison wanted to point out how disgusting this was, but given her earlier run-in with him, she knew that he was deadly serious about his instruction. Reluctantly, she smiled and just threw out the straws, before heading to re-fill the cups. There was a crash from a little way off as a tray of food was dropped on the floor. Everyone looked around to see Leanne holding a college guy by the wrist, glaring at him angrily.

"Hey, jerkoff! That is MINE!" Leanne snapped at him, pointing to her own backside. "So you keep your hands off, understand?"

"Oh, come on, it's a compliment!" He chuckled as his friends laughed along with him. "Besides, you can't tell me wearing those shorts you don't expect..."

"You need to have a little more respect sonny!" Betty interrupted him. "This young lady didn't ask for you to touch her."

"Come on old timer, we're just having a little fun..."

"I think I should remind you there are cameras here sonny." Betty told him, pointing to the cameras. "I think the police have a little term for unwanted physical contact."

"Oh come on, we're just having a little fun." One of them protested. "I'm sure she likes it really, she probably loves the attention! If she didn't, why would she work somewhere with a uniform like that?"

"So she's 'asking for it' right?" Betty asked him. "I suppose then if someone goes outside and scratches up that fancy car I saw you rolling up in you won't report it to the police, because you're 'asking for it' by having such an easily damaged car."

"Hey, are you threatening...?"

"Maybe I'm misjudging you. Maybe if someone burned down your house, you'd just shrug your shoulders and say 'well, it's my fault for having such a flammable house'."

"Lady, it's..."

"Maybe if this young lady chose to break that chicken-bone you call a wrist you'd just say 'it's my fault for grabbing her ass without asking'." Betty said. Leanne squeezed the man's wrist, hard enough for him to slip off the chair and onto his knees before her, wincing in pain.

"OK, alright you made your point!" One of them rushed out. Betty just smiled and tapped Leanne on the shoulder.

"Go get that able in the corner would you deary?" Betty asked her. "I can collect the check here."

As she left, the man got up, sitting at the table once more. Betty put the check down.

"Now, why don't you nice young men settle this and leave quietly before you make even more of an ass of yourselves?" Betty suggested. "Oh, and maybe if you're generous with the tip, I won't feel the need to forward these tapes to the police and ask them what they think about unwanted physical contact."

"Alright lady, you made your point." One of them grumbled as they threw a handful of notes on the table and gathered their things. "Come on, the waves should be killer by the time we get our boards."

Betty collected the money and counted it, smiling as she saw they had left almost double the value of the check, just to leave with what little dignity they had left.

"Thank you for your generosity!" Betty called after them, before heading for the register.

Back down in the lab, Sarah stepped back from her creation, a huge, bright smile on her face.

"There we are! One cave-man light...thing." Sarah said as she showed it to Kendall. "I've put in the lens; it's ready to test any time!"

"Sarah, that's...that's incredible!" Kendall stated. "How did you make this so fast?"

"Well, I have had a bit of experience building things in my garage...as my dad's insurance premiums can attest." Sarah said to her. "Word of advice, gloss paint is WAY more flammable than you'd think."

"Let's just try this out shall we?" Kendall responded, making a mental note that it was probably best not to ask what Sarah got up to in her parents' garage. She pulled out a huge torch. "This is a UV light; it should replicate the effects of sunlight pretty accurately."

Kendall shined the torch through the lens, which focused the light down the length of the frame and out the smaller end of the contraption. However, at the end, the light just dissipated in all directions, with seemingly no real effect at all. Kendall shut off the light.

"Damn it, it doesn't work." Kendall responded. "We have to be missing something."

"I followed these designs as best I could." Sarah said, looking again to the paintings. "I don't know what went wrong. It's a shame Koda can't remember more about what his grandfather said."

"Believe me, Koda wouldn't be the first person who didn't listen to their grandparents." Kendall sighed, looking to the contraption before her. She couldn't think what was wrong, what she was missing, but as she inspected it, she remembered something. GMa Betty had told her she found the lens, they had found the struts that gave them the idea to rebuild the weapon. While no one living had seen it fully constructed, GMa Betty had seen the component parts all in the same place! It was the closest thing they would have to someone who had seen it fully built!

"GMa Betty!" Kendall rushed out. "Maybe she's still in the museum!"

"She was in the cafe last time I saw her." Sarah told her. Kendall was about to run out when Sarah thought of something. "Wait, you told your grandmother about this?"

"Hey, I'm the second generation of my family in this business! Believe me; I couldn't keep her in the dark if I tried!" Kendall answered with a smile as she ran out, in search of her GMa.


	24. Ancient Ingenuity

Poisandra and Curio were lying, flat on their backs, completely spent as the Rangers ran around the park, now involved in a spirited game of soccer. They had not only underestimated the energy of a young human, but also the energy of a young human that had the power of an Energem to revitalise them.

"I...can't...catch...my breath." Curio panted as he struggled to even try and sit up, flopping back down to the ground as he failed. "I wish I had lungs."

"When...this...is over...I'll...need...a vacation...from this...vacation!" Poisandra agreed breathlessly. It was only then that as her head listed to the side, she saw Fury, Loafer and Singe approaching.

"Those vacationing Rangers have no idea we're about to take their..." His words tailed off as he saw Poisandra and Curio, barely conscious on the ground. "HEY! What are you two doing here?"

"We...were...wearing them out!" Poisandra panted.

"So...you...could get...their Energems." Curio added. Singe just face-palmed and shook his head.

"Well, it looks like you've done a bang-up job of that now doesn't it?" He asked, looking to Fury and Loafer. "So, are we just going to stand here and watch them play?"

"That WASN'T part of Heckyl's plan!" Fury roared at Poisandra, realising it was much more likely that she was out to get the Energems for herself than for Heckyl. She hadn't even been part of the discussion on how to get the Energems, the only way she'd even know the Rangers were vulnerable would be if she had been eavesdropping. "Get back to the ship and leave getting the Energems to the REAL professionals!"

"Is this what you want thou lumbering beast?" Ivan teased Fury, overhearing the conversation. His altered mind knew the creature wanted the Energem, but in its current state only saw another game. "Is this what you want? Come and get it!"

As he blew a raspberry at Fury, the creature ran at him, his sword extended, intending to drive it straight through Ivan's heart. However, his agility, combined with years on the jousting circuit meant he was more than capable of avoiding the lunge. Fury stumbled past him as Ivan dodged just out of the way.

"Too slow!" Ivan taunted him. "Thy jousting skills are quite unimpressive!"

Fury bellowed with rage as he went after Ivan, each swing easily capable of taking off a limb, but Ivan just ducked and spun away from every swing, finishing by kicking Fury in the backside, causing him to overbalance.

"Do you guys see that?" Tyler laughed. "Down he goes!"

"This is REALLY giving me a headache now!" Singe grumbled, as he powered up his Last Blaster. "Playtime's over Rangers!"

He fired his blast, but as per usual his accuracy was an issue. He narrowly missed Riley, who just stared at the ground where the blast had hit.

"Cool!" He said with a goofy grin on his face.

"Hey guys! They obviously want to play tag!" Chase rushed out. "Come on, let's scatter!"

"You guys are slower than a turtle with a limp!" Shelby giggled as she ducked one of Singe's blasts. Before they knew it, all the Rangers had run off.

"NOW look what you've done!" Fury screamed at Singe, snatching his blaster off him. "Before you started shooting, they were all in one place. Now they're running around like maniacs!"

"So I suppose we should try your bumbling approach? I suppose letting the Gold Ranger kick you up the backside was part of your strategy." Singe drawled sarcastically, taking his weapon back and converting it into sword mode. "Fine, I'll do this your way...if we can catch them."

With that, Loafer, Fury and Singe all ran, hoping to try and catch the Rangers before someone figured out how to reverse the effects of the sun's rays and they realised this wasn't a game.

Over in the Dino Bite Cafe, things were still hectic. It seemed that as soon as one person left, another three people entered, all looking for something to eat. Vacationing appeared to be a hungry business for the people of Amber Beach. Betty came up to a table, putting down a bowl of oatmeal in front of a customer who just wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Oatmeal?" She asked. "But I'm on vacation."

"I know it's not what you ordered, but we've just run out of burgers." Betty told her. "Besides, that's healthier for you! It'll stick to your ribs!"

Betty went into the back, closely followed by Flash who had seen the whole thing.

"Excuse me, whoever you are, but what in the devil do you think you're doing?" He asked her.

"I'd say I'm saving your business." Betty told him.

"By serving people food they never asked for?" He snapped at her. "I know you don't work here, so I can't fire you, but I CAN have you thrown out..."

"And a tight-ass like you would NEVER throw out someone who does all the maintenance work that needed doing in here for free." Betty interrupted him. He just looked aghast.

"Well...what was that about being out of burgers?" He asked her. "I just bought three whole boxes! They're over there! There's plenty..."

"Well, you and I CLEARLY have different ideas what a burger is." Betty interrupted him again, pulling out one of the patties. It was a kind of strange brown colour, and looked a little sad and pathetic. "Last time I checked, before meat patties are cooked, they're meant to be RED!"

She grabbed one of his wrists, lifting up his hand and slapped the meat right into his palm.

"If you want to eat that, you be my guest." Betty told him. "But since I'm probably going to be cleaning the bathrooms afterwards, I'd prefer it if your customers aren't erupting from both ends like Mount Vesuvius!"

Flash just threw the patty into the box, inspecting the rest and seeing they were much the same. Wiping his hands off on a paper towel, he looked to her.

"I'll go out and get some more." He told her. "In the meantime, try and serve customers food they might actually pay for."

As he left, Allison was coming in. She could see the look on his face, and knew he was far from happy, which didn't bode well for her. She looked to Betty, who was washing her hands.

"What just happened?" Allison asked.

"I told him his food wasn't fit for purpose." Betty informed her. "I wouldn't feed this to any living thing."

"I said EXACTLY the same thing this morning!" Allison protested. "Why would he...?"

"There's a benefit of being my age dear." Betty said with a smile. "You don't give a shit about threats of being out of a job when you've been retired more than a decade!"

Just then, they were interrupted as Kendall arrived, looking for Betty.

"GMa Betty! I need your help with something VERY important." Kendall told her. Allison could see Betty's face light up hearing this. She held a hand over her chest.

"You...need my help?" She asked for clarification. Kendall just looked around at the chaos.

"Yes, I do...I...REALLY do." She answered. Betty reached out for her.

"That is so nice to hear Doodlebug!" She exclaimed in a joyful manner, her face looking like just hearing this one thing had taken ten years off her age. "I don't think you've said that to me since I taught you to tie up your shoes."

"You had problems tying your shoes?" Allison asked. Kendall just glared at her, at which she backed off. She let out a sigh.

"GMa Betty, I may not always say it, but I always need your help." Kendall told her. "I know my Aunt Kendrix was my idol because of everything she did but...you were the one who raised her to be that way. I've always looked up to you!"

"Then what can I do you for?" Betty asked her. Kendall just directed her out of the restaurant, heading for the lab. Allison couldn't help smiling.

"Doodlebug had problems tying her shoe laces?" She asked herself. Her attention was snapped back as a beach ball bounced into the kitchen. "Alright, who threw that?"

Down in the lab, Betty was looking over the device that they had recreated from the designs they had found in the cave paintings. She looked at Sarah and smiled.

"Nice job with this kid, I couldn't have done much better myself." Betty told her.

"Thanks." Sarah said with a little blush. "I just want to help out in any way I can."

"It looks like you've done a good job replicating these plans." Betty said, inspecting the device. "Now, it looks kind of like a reflector, in which case if this is the primary lens..."

"Then there should be another lens down here!" Sarah rushed out, pointing to the other end. "Why didn't I think of that?"

"When you've lived a few decades you pick up a few things." Betty told the younger girl. "The secondary lens seems to be missing. Where is it?"

"It might be back in the cave." Kendall suggested, going to the computer and scrolling through some images. Unfortunately when she found the picture of the pieces of the apparatus they had found, where GMa had picked up the primary lens, she couldn't see it, but she could see a potential problem.

"Oh no." Kendall said, enhancing the image to take a closer look. "That looks like..."

"Glass shards." Sarah concluded. "Even if you could go back to the cave, the second lens is broken..."

They both heard a loud snap, and turned in time to see Betty breaking her own glasses.

"GMa..."

"It's just as well I carry a spare." Betty told them, starting to fix one of the lenses into place. "There, why don't you give that a try?"

Sarah picked up the UV lamp and shone the light through it. The light did focus into kind of a wide spread beam, but they didn't see anything else. It didn't cause any burning or any noticeable damage to the cave walls. Sarah put down the torch.

"What went wrong?" She asked. "I was expecting a weapon to do a lot more...you know...more!"

"Hang on, in this picture...it looks like they're not shining the rays on the monster, it looks like they're shining it on one of their own people." Kendall told her. "Maybe it's not a weapon, but a way to counteract the monster's radiation."

"There's one way to find out." Betty said, gesturing to the device and then to the door. "Come on Doodlebug, you've got a whole restaurant full of test subjects!"

Reluctantly, Kendall and Sarah took the device and followed Betty back to the restaurant. The crowd was still packing out the whole restaurant. Allison and Leanne had taken cover behind the counter and were reduced to just slinging out sodas as there was simply no way to keep up with food orders.

"What's that thing?" Allison asked as they brought it in.

"We think we might have found a way to counteract whatever that monster is doing to people." Betty told her. "Sorry, but we need to use your diners as guinea pigs."

"PLEASE do!" Leanne said with a shudder as a guy walked past in a Speedo, which was way too small and starting to lose the battle to continue covering his butt. Betty got the sun lamp out.

"Set it up there Doodlebug." She told her granddaughter. Kendall and Sarah held it in place, resting on the counter. As Betty shone the light through, bathing the whole dining room in a pale blue light, all of a sudden people stopped what they were doing and started looking really confused.

"What am I doing here?" A lady asked, picking a flower out of her hair. "I need to be at a three o'clock meeting!"

"Why the hell am I playing with a beach ball?" One of the other patrons asked.

"Oh my GOD, what the hell happened to my clothes?" The guy in the Speedo screamed, grabbing a beach towel and desperately trying to cover himself. "I need to get out of here before someone calls the cops!"

Allison had never been so happy to see an empty dining room in all her life! Within seconds, everyone remembered they had more important things to be doing, and the whole place emptied. Kendall beamed with delight as she hugged Betty tightly.

"Sometimes I may forget to tell you this, but you are AMAZING!" Kendall gushed as she held her.

"You're pretty darn special yourself too Doodlebug." She answered. "Now, unless you plan to individually zap everyone on the Western Hemisphere..."

"Right, of course!" Kendall answered, looking to the others. "I'm going up in the Plesio Zord to take care of the monster up there and position this device to counteract the monster's spell. Contact Koda and tell him he needs to keep the Rangers safe just a little longer."

"You've got it Ms Morgan!" Allison told her. As she picked up the device and ran out, Betty just looked to them.

"You call her Ms Morgan?" She asked. Allison just shrugged.

"She always insisted on it." Allison told her.

"Yeah, Koda's the only one that calls her Kendall." Leanne added.

"But I thought you were friends." Betty commented. Leanne just shrugged.

"It's just something she's always insisted on." She answered. As they left, Betty just shook her head.

"Oh Doodlebug, what are we going to do with you?" She asked.

Meanwhile, in the city, Koda was desperately looking for his friends, knowing that they were vulnerable while they were affected by Leisure's spell. Being morphed, he was safe from the radiation that caused the spell to take effect, but being the only Ranger on the field at the moment, he knew he was short-handed until he found the others and found a way to turn the back to normal.

As he was searching, he ran into Fury, Singe and Loafer, who were also looking for them. The meeting seemed to be almost as much of a surprise for them as it was for Koda, given the way they jumped in surprise, seeing a morphed Ranger.

"Where my friends?" Koda demanded of them. Fury stepped forward.

"We lost them when they were playing hide and seek, but they can't hide forever!" Fury snarled at him. "But now that we've found you, we know we only have one Ranger we actually have to fight!"

"I won't let you harm my friends!" Koda screamed at them, powering up into Dino Steel Mode and rushing for them. He managed to block a couple of Singe's blasts, but eventually he took a hit and was blasted off his feet.

"I know it might be difficult for one so primitive, but let me introduce you to a little mathematics." Singe sneered at him. "There are three of us, and only one of you!"

Koda got back up and continued his charge, this time being knocked down as Loafer hit him with an exploding beach ball. As he struggled to get up, Fury was next, slashing at him with his sword. Koda was knocked out of his Dino Steel Mode and hit the ground hard.

"This fight is so easy, it's practically a vacation!" Loafer chuckled. "Let me finish him off!"

"NO!" Fury snapped in response. "I want to take care of this one!"

Fury advanced on the Blue Ranger, preparing to drive his sword down into his prone opponent. However, as it was coming down, another sword blocked it. He looked up to see Riley standing over Koda.

"What the..." He didn't get to finish as Ivan swung his sword into him, knocking him back. "I...I thought...why aren't they affected?"

"Hey, if you're gonna play, play nice!" Riley commented.

"Exactly sir, you would ruin our vacation by playing rough?" Ivan asked him.

"How did they break my sister's spell?" Loafer asked.

"I don't believe they have...unless grass skirts and lays have become part of a Rangers' uniform." Singe responded, firing his blaster their way, at which Shelby and Tyler dodged them with an impressive display of gymnastics, all while blowing raspberries and chanting 'nyah nyah' at him.

"We might be on vacation, but when one of our friends is being attacked, playtime is over!" Chase told them as he aimed his Para Chopper and Dino Blaster at them. "Now, say hello to my little friends!"

Up in the Plesio Zord, Kendall was just breaking through the atmosphere, and making her way around the Earth, looking for signs of Leisure. All she knew was that to be filtering down the rays she was, she had to be positioned somewhere between Earth and the Sun. Unfortunately that didn't narrow it down a lot! Fortunately, as she came around, her sensors alerted her to alien bio signs.

"Alright, there she is, there's not much point deploying this device until she's dealt with." She remarked. "Plesio Charge Megazord, ACTIVATE!"

She knew she didn't have long, if she could see Leisure, she was certain the monster likely wouldn't take long to see her either. She was proven right as power blasts started coming her way, rocking the Megazord.

"No one interrupts my vacation!" She screeched. "Triple Scoop Twist!"

Kendall could see the damage report coming back as the monster's drill arm tore into the chest plate. It was holding up, but not for long if she couldn't get it off. She planted the Plesio Zord's fist in Leisure's abdomen.

"You like the sun so much? How about an express visit?" Kendall asked her, powering up its jets. "Dino Super Drive Sabre, Final Rocket PUNCH!"

Leisure screamed as the fist propelled her backwards at great velocity straight towards the sun. The fist turned back, returning to the Plesio Zord, but in the vacuum of space, with no source of friction to push against, Leisure had nothing to stop her spinning wildly into the sun, burning up on impact. Kendall breathed a sigh of relief.

"Right, that's one problem down." She said as she released the device from the Megazord's cargo hold. She gripped it in the Megazord's hand. "Now I just need to position the lens just right. Hold on just a little longer guys."


	25. Vacation's End

Down on Earth, the Rangers were locked in battle with Fury, Singe and Loafer. Well, the word "battle" was glorifying it a little. Although the Rangers were quick to help Koda when they saw he was being attacked, to say that they weren't themselves was a little bit of an understatement!

"Hold STILL will you?" Singe yelled as he fired more blasts from his Last Blaster, narrowly missing Tyler as he back-flipped out of the way.

"Hey, Singe, did you graduate from the Imperial Stormtrooper School of Marksmanship?" Tyler asked as he started to dance in a madcap manner. "Come on, are you shooting with your eyes closed or what?"

"I think he'd be more likely to hit something with his eyes closed!" Shelby said, turning around and bending over, pulling up the skirt on her costume. "Hey, Singe, here's a target for you!"

Just then, blue light bathed the whole area, and everyone paused, the Rangers that had been affected clutching their heads. As the light passed, they all started looking around confused.

"What happened here?" Ivan asked, finding himself wearing a grass skirt and a lay. "Flowers around my neck?"

"What the hell were we doing?" Tyler asked.

"Wait, am I trying to moon Singe?" Shelby asked, at which he finally fired a shot that hit its mark. "OW! Hot, hot, hot, hot, hot..."

"Kendall figure out way to break spell!" Koda announced joyfully.

"Loafer! The Purple one must have destroyed your sister!" Fury snapped at the creature. "Get up there and hit your spell before..."

"Too late for that Fury!" Tyler announced as the team all lined up behind him in his T-Rex Supercharge Mode. "Victory Maximum, Final STRIKE!"

Fury and Singe could only watch as Tyler obliterated Loafer, leaving a smoking crater behind. Tyler was already lining up another shot.

"Not today!" Singe said, dropping to his knees and slamming his hands on the ground. The Rangers had to dive in all directions as numerous columns of lava erupted from the ground all around them. By the time the attack had dissipated, leaving the street in ruins, Singe and Fury were gone.

"Looks like they decided it was time for a little vacation themselves." Chase surmised.

"Well, I think you earned it Koda." Tyler said with a smile. "Say it."

"Monster extinct." Koda breathed out, trying to catch his breath after the difficult fight. Riley tapped Tyler on the shoulder.

"Um...I think maybe it would be best if we weren't here when the authorities showed up." Riley suggested.

"What are you talking about?" Tyler asked. Riley gestured around, at which the whole team looked around the area, seeing it was a complete disaster area. With all the playing around, the Rangers had tempted out a lot of attacks that had gone wide of their mark, leaving the street looking like The Acropolis on a bad day. Tyler just gulped.

"Um...yeah...good call Riley." He remarked. "Come on, let's get out of here."

With that, the Rangers all sprinted away. The job was done, and the day was won, but when all was said and done, they somehow doubted that people were going to be particularly happy to see how much cleaning up had to be done after their impromptu vacation.

On Sledge's ship, Singe made his way back into his cell, cranking up the pressure to its highest setting to help settle him. He had seriously underestimated the Rangers, relying far too much on Leisure's spell.

When the Rangers were under attack themselves, they treated the whole thing as a game, like it wasn't important that they were being attacked. However, when they saw their friend being attacked, as much as they still messed around, they seemed to be able to prioritise the fight over their fun. He lay back on his bed, trying to think about how he was going to spin this to Heckyl when he was inevitably summoned before him to explain his 'failure'.

As he was about to drift off for a nap, his communicator sounded and he checked to make sure no one was listening. He went to the door of his cell and checked the corridor, remembering the last time when Fury had overheard him. He went back inside and answered the call.

"You rang sir?" He asked.

"The time has finally come; we've finally got what we need." The voice on the other end told him.

"You mean...?"

"Yes, we finally managed to create them!" The voice told him. "I told you he couldn't hold out forever."

"Well then, I guess I could always prepare the place for your arrival." Singe suggested, getting his blaster ready.

"No, that won't be necessary! In fact, Heckyl and his crew might just be useful for a little while longer." The voice told him. "I just need something to distract them for a little while, and I think I know exactly what. Implant this information into their computer systems; make sure it triggers their sensors."

Singe took a look at the data he was being transmitted and smiled.

"It's a gamble for sure." He commented. "But its bait I just know Heckyl will NOT be able to resist!"

Over at the Dino Bite Cafe, Sarah, Allison, Leanne and Betty were all sitting around a table with their feet up, taking a well-earned rest after a busy day. Flash came into the restaurant, carrying boxes of patties, finding the place empty, and his staff sitting around the table, drinking coffee without a care in the world.

"What...what happened here?" He demanded. "Where did all the customers go?"

"Well, they just...left." Allison told him.

"Just left?" Flash asked, looking completely shocked to hear this. "This place was PACKED! I couldn't have fit any more people in here if I had a crowbar! How did it go from that to...well...THIS in less than an hour?"

"I guess people just had better places to be." Sarah suggested with a shrug. "You know the thing about vacations is eventually they end."

"So why are you all just sitting around?" He asked. "Haven't you got...?"

"Everything's been cleaned and put away, everything's been done." Allison assured him. "I made sure we all finished our task sheets before we made coffee."

"Well in that case, let me see the pay-in!" He said, his eyes wide as he looked to Allison, practically drooling at the thought of his day's takings. "Let's see it!"

"Alright, if you insist." Allison told him, taking some money out of the till tray that was sitting next to her and putting it down on the table. Flash looked at it, and then back to her in disgust.

"Is this some kind of joke?" He asked her. "There's barely a hundred bucks here!"

"One hundred and six dollars and sixteen cents to be exact." Allison told him. He just glared at her.

"I warned you about your smart mouth!" He snarled. "Where's the rest?"

"Well, you can double-check my figures if you like, I know I had to go through it four times, but here's the checks." Allison said, putting down the till receipts from the sales. She reached in and pulled out another, almost equally large pile. "And this is all the comps we had to give out."

"COMPS?" He screamed, looking at her in alarm. Betty just smiled.

"You know, between people complaining about the quality of the food and the number of people we had to refund because they couldn't get what they ordered when we got to the stuff we couldn't sell, there really wasn't a whole lot we could do."

"This is RIDICULOUS!" He screamed. Betty just shrugged.

"Well, I believe we DID try to warn you." She told him, gathering her jacket. "Now, if you don't mind, our shifts have finished, and we all have plans."

"Yeah, it's Koda's big championship match tonight." Leanne added with a smile, gathering her things. "Come on Sarah, it's time we welcomed you to the team properly."

With that, they all left the restaurant, leaving Flash holding his pitiful return for the day. He kicked over a stool in a fit of temper, before storming out of the restaurant, shutting out the lights. The last thing he needed was to waste any MORE money on lighting an empty restaurant!

Meanwhile, in Alaska, the team had returned to the caves at Koda's request. While they knew he had to be back in Amber Beach in a couple of hours, he had asked to return to the cave so they could document and inventory everything. Kendall came up to him, placing a hand on his shoulder gently.

"Are you sure about this?" Kendall asked him softly. "This is your family's home, and...for some of them...their tomb as well. I'd understand if you wanted us to seal it off and leave it here."

"No, it not my family's home in long time." Koda told her, touching his chest, and then his head. "My family here, and here. All this no use here, it not honour my family if left buried in ground. Better if other people get to see. Get to know more about my people."

"Well I've hidden the entrance well enough that no one should find it before Anton can send a proper excavation team." Chase told him. "Nothing else will be disturbed until it's taken back."

"Thank you." He replied, before looking to the painting of his grandfather, stroking his fingers across it. "I should have listened to you grandfather. I think you make rules for no reason. But you only do it to keep us all safe. Even after you gone, you still my hero."

He looked around to the other paintings, finding the ones pertaining to his younger brother and a tear ran down his face.

"I sorry I not there for you, but you make very proud little brother." Koda told him. "I do everything I can to make you proud too. I make sure people know about our people. That best way to honour you all."

With that, he turned and started to head for the Plesio Zord, leaving the cave behind. When they got there, starting to take their seats, Shelby winced.

"I really hope the seats at that theatre aren't too hard Koda." Shelby muttered.

"Well, until the Energem heals you, you can have this." Riley said, handing her an inflatable rubber ring. Shelby just snatched it from him, making a face at him to show her annoyance.

"Well, I never thought I'd say this, but I am looking forward to getting back to some WORK." Chase commented. "I don't know about you guys, but I am all vacationed out for a LONG time!"

"You said it." Tyler agreed.

"Speak for yourselves; I didn't get to do any vacation stuff at all!" Kendall commented as she took off, setting a course for Amber Beach, as close to the arena as possible to let Koda and the others out. "I for one could probably use a break."

"Do you even take vacations?" Shelby asked. "I've known you for almost two years and in all that time, the closest I think you had to a vacation was when you were in hospital."

"I vacation!" Kendall protested as she hit the afterburners, speeding the Zord through the clouds. "Now, hold on. If Koda's going to get there, I'm really going to have to punch it!"

In the Amber Beach Theatre, Carl was getting things set up for his show. Most of the talent was already there, and they were just putting the final touches to the set up for the show.

"Do you call those ring-ropes tight?" He protested to one of his ring crew. "Tell you what, why don't you have another crack at it. I'll be back in 20 minutes and if I'm not happy, I swear I'll make you take the whole damn thing down and start again!"

Heading through, he was checking on the guys. A few of them were at the merchandise table, checking they were happy with the display for their stuff. For many of the guys coming in, that was where they made the majority of their money. There were even some that were slipping the guy some cash to put their stuff in more prominent positions. The centre table, pride of place was the display for the biggest stars coming in, The Wolves!

Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards were one of the hottest teams on the independent circuit, and while there had been doubts they'd be back after a few inconvenient injuries and scheduling conflicts leading to speculation they'd have to be stripped of the tag titles they had won in Carl's fed well over a year ago, they were finally able to find a date that suited both parties.

There was a large cardboard standee depicting both men standing in their signature pose, along with a sign denoting prices for autographs and merchandise, telling people when they would be available for pictures and autographs. Hoodies, t-shirts, glossy pictures and posters all waiting for fans to buy were dominating a large part of the table. Since The Wolves were now regularly on television, it was a concession that had to be made to entice them to participate.

He stopped one of the runners, seeing him heading into the back.

"How's the locker room looking?" He asked. The runner just shrugged.

"Everyone seems to be fine. There are a few grumbles, but nothing we weren't expecting." He told him. "Koda's not here yet, but we got a call to say he should be here in 20."

"Right, tell everyone to assemble by the ring in half an hour for the run-down of the card." Carl told him. "Tonight's a big one, so I want EVERYONE to know what they're doing!"

"Oh, Jack wanted to talk...at least, that's what I THINK he said, he was kind of in a mood. One of the young guys touched his bag and there was kind of a thing." The Runner told him. Carl rolled his eyes.

"PLEASE tell me he didn't hurt anyone!" He muttered, stroking his temples. The runner just sighed.

"Well, let's just say he'll be performing tonight, but he's not going to be trying that again in a hurry." He answered. Carl knew exactly what this meant. Jack was pretty old-school in his mentality to respect in the locker room. The young guys had to prove themselves before they deserved to be treated as equals, and woe betide anyone who acted arrogantly before they were considered to be one of the guys. Jack was a bad-tempered guy and he knew how to hurt people. If the young guy hadn't been scared out of the arena and was still fit to perform, he considered it a win.

"Alright, fine, I'll talk to him." Carl stated.

"Oh, Alessandra wanted to talk to you too." The runner told him. "She was by the back door last time I saw her."

Carl just nodded and went out the back, figuring Jack could wait. While he would need to speak to him, he was keen to get a bearing on how Alessandra was. When he found her, he could see that she was dressed, and just waiting for Koda to arrive to do her body paint. While she had done shows without him now, and there were others that could do it, she always liked to let him do it whenever they were booked together. He saw her playing with her phone, with her leg up, resting on her bag. He approached her, at which she put her phone away.

"Alright, how's it feel tonight?" He asked her. She pulled up the peg of her tights, showing him that her knee was tightly taped up, and covered by an additional brace.

"I take some aspirin. No want be groggy." She told him. He just looked to her.

"That's not what I meant." He told her. "Get up and let me see you walking on it."

Alessandra got up and started to walk for him. She was able to walk, and he was sure that as long as she was careful, she could perform on it as well. He only really needed her tonight, and then he could keep her off the card for a show or two to rest up. It was subtle, no doubt because Alessandra was used to hiding the severity of her injuries from bookers, but he had been around long enough to be able to see that she was definitely favouring her other leg. He stroked his chin.

"Alright, you should be fine, but nothing from the top and no planchas." He told her abruptly. "Lenny's good at mat work, when you're running through your match with him; I want you to let him know about your leg, make sure you plan your match around protecting that knee. The last thing I want is that thing going bang."

Alessandra just nodded in understanding. She already knew he was on his way to planning the end of her title reign to allow her to take time to get the surgery her knee needed. At the moment it was a relatively minor procedure, but he just needed to get her though another couple of appearances without making it any worse before he could relieve her of her duties. She nodded and returned to what she was doing, leaving Carl to go and find Jack. He wasn't too hard to find, after his earlier altercation, people were reluctant to get too close, leaving him well alone. He was taking a couple of pills, washing them down with a swig from his hip flask.

"Please tell me you didn't go too far." Carl begged him. Jack just shrugged.

"He'll live." Jack told him. "Little prick didn't want to sit next to the bathroom."

Carl just sighed and shook his head. He knew it was a pointless conversation to try and get Jack to see that he didn't have to beat the hell out of every kid that encroached on his space. As Jack stubbed out his cigar, and got up.

"So, do you have it?" He asked. Carl pulled out a small, black canvas bag and handed it to Jack, who checked inside and nodded his head, before wrapping it back up and stuffing it in his boot.

"Run-down is in 25 minutes." He told him. Jack just held up a thumbs up as he started to lace up his boots.


	26. Koda's Championship Match

The show was underway, and the crowd was getting whipped up as the intermission approached. In the back, Alessandra was resting up as best she could before her match. When she saw Koda coming, she took her foot down off the chair, and tried to act casually. She knew Koda would only worry if he knew that her knee was now at the stage of needing surgery. While it was still a minor surgery that was needed, there was an inherent risk with postponing it and continuing to work.

"I sorry I late." Koda told her as he arrived, seeing that she had managed to do her own body-paint. She usually waited and let him do it when they were booked together, but thanks to his diversion to Alaska, he had been running a little late.

"I no mind." She told him, bringing him in for a soft kiss. "You see family cave?"

"Chase and others secure, Anton send in team to excavate soon." Koda told her quietly. Alessandra just laid a hand on his arm gently. She knew it had to have stirred something in him to see his old cave again. She knew how she felt when she saw historical sites at home, thinking of her heritage and how her ancestors lived, but for Koda, it was literally his people. He had sat at that very campfire in his youth. He still remembered the stories they would tell and the conversations they would have.

"When things sent here, would very much like to meet your family." Alessandra told him. Koda smiled a little hearing this. He knew that it was literally impossible for Alessandra to meet his family; they had all died a hundred thousand years ago. However, he knew what she meant. She knew that while Koda was making the most of his new life, there was still a lot of love and pride in him for where he had come from. The way she felt whenever a song in her native Spanish came on the radio, or whenever a festival came around, he felt that about his family's home. It said a lot about Koda that rather than keep his home to himself, to keep it as a tomb for his family and their memories, he wanted to share their culture with the world.

"I like that very much." Koda told her.

"Koda, where the fuck have you been?" Jack snapped as he found Koda and Alessandra together. He looked a little nervous.

"I just..."

"Play kissy-face later, run-down now!" Jack told him, grabbing Koda and dragging him away. "There's important stuff we need to go over for tonight. Eddie and Davey are waiting!"

As they left, Alessandra held her sabre-tooth necklace and caressed it gently, hoping for all the luck it could bestow them both.

Intermission had come, and the team were taking a quick break from the action. Sarah was bouncing with excitement, being overjoyed at being invited to a team excursion. She had officially only done one thing for them, helping create the light reflector, but just from that, the team were trying to make her feel welcome.

"Hey, there you are, I lost you in the crowd!" Riley told her, coming to her side. She just started looking around.

"I thought I saw the girl from the opening match heading to the bathroom, but it turns out it was only a cos-player." She said, looking disappointed. "I was really hoping to get an autograph."

"I'll text Koda. I'm sure he'll be able to hook you up." Riley assured her. "You want some snacks or something for the second half? I think it's only fair we get you something after all you did today."

"I'm not sure; the food at these things is usually pretty..."

"They have cotton candy!" He interrupted her. Sarah squealed in delight and grabbed him, practically dragging him to the concession stand. A little way off, Leanne was coming back from getting some fresh air, carrying some popcorn and a couple of drinks she had gotten for herself and Riley when she saw them barrelling past her, almost knocking her over.

"Hey, I've already got..." Leanne started to say, before seeing them at the stand, picking out their selections. "...the snacks."

"Hey, what's happening?" Allison asked. She looked over, seeing Riley and Sarah. "Leanne, I'm sure..."

"It's fine, it totally is." Leanne assured her. "I mean, I invited her after all, he's just making her feel welcome I'm sure."

"Yeah, exactly." Allison agreed. "That's just the kind of guy Riley is."

"Yeah, he's so welcoming." Leanne said. Allison couldn't help noticing Leanne staring at them just a little too long as they laughed, playing around with their newly-acquired cotton candy. "So...welcoming!"

"You know, I think they're almost about to start the second half." Allison stated, taking Leanne's free hand. "If we head back now, we should get into our seats pretty easily..."

"You're kidding; you won the all-state science blue ribbon?" Riley said as he walked past with Sarah, his arm around her shoulders. "I've tried to win that thing for years!"

"Yes, he's so welcoming." Leanne said a little coldly.

"Um...Leanne...circulation is becoming a problem." Allison said, trying to get her hand out of Leanne's grip.

"Just so...damn...welcoming!" She hissed.

"Ow...ow...ow..." Allison said, feeling Leanne tighten her grip. "Leanne, I need those fingers!"

Leanne looked to her, and then down to her hand, realising her mistake. She released Allison much to her relief.

"Oh...sorry...I wasn't thinking." Leanne told her. "Come on; let's get back to our seats."

Meanwhile, in a location far away, almost on the opposite side of the world, James was traversing some treacherous cliffs, rather carefully. Not because he was overly worried about falling, between his Energem and his years of experience, he thought nothing of being hundreds of feet above the ground with only the grip of his fingers between him and a rather messy accident. No, his main concern was keeping out of sight. He was sticking close to the rock face. He looked down beneath him, seeing some men down below, overseeing a dig. He managed to get out his binoculars, bringing them to his eyes to get a closer look. His cell phone rang, at which he answered it, before returning to his binoculars.

"This really isn't a good time Phillipe!" James stated.

"If the GPS is correct, I would say most certainly not!" Phillipe answered. "James, I thought I expressly told you..."

"I saw an opportunity and I took it!" James answered him. "I managed to cross the border unseen and now I'm at the dig site..."

"I told you I would handle surveillance." Phillipe told him. "I was arranging..."

"Look, by the time you arranged your guys, there's no telling what these guys would have done to the find." James interrupted him abruptly. "This way, at least I get to be here when they dig it up and confirm first hand."

"James, you are aware that there are warrants for your arrest in that country!" Phillipe told him. James just smiled.

"Believe me, after the last time, being arrested is the least of my worries if I get caught." James assured him, zooming in. The dig team were just extracting a skull from the rocks as he watched on in interest.

"James, get out..."

"Just give me a damn minute!" James told him. He edged a bit closer and zoomed right in as they opened up the skull. He let out a sigh as he saw this. "Damn."

"What, what happened?" Phillipe asked him. "James, speak to me..."

"It's not here." James told him. "They have a regular old Titanosaurus. There's no Energem."

"They don't have the Energem?" Phillipe asked him. "So, your theory that the geodes in the area might block our scans..."

"It looks like there was nothing to find anyway." James sighed. Just then, there was a crack, and he looked aside to see some of the rock face chip away. There was another crack, and this time he saw an impact cause more chips to fly. He turned his attention back down to the valley, where he saw the soldiers who were acting as security for the dig workers looking up at him. One of them was pointing and shouting loudly in his native language as others appeared, carrying assault rifles.

"What was that?" Phillipe asked him.

"Um...that would be the nice gentlemen with assault rifles taking exception to my presence." James told him, taking cover.

"James, you're a foreigner with binoculars in the middle of a militarised zone! WHAT DID YOU THINK WAS GOING TO HAPPEN?"

"Look, arrange a pickup across the border and lecture me later!" James told him. "I'll meet you at the Embassy; we can talk about where we go from here then! In the meantime, I'll try and make my way across the border without a serious case of lead poisoning!"

With that, James hung up the phone before Phillipe could protest. He pulled out his Energem and kissed it, before summoning its power and morphing.

"Alright, let's try and not cause an international incident James." He told himself as he got up and started running for his life as the soldiers opened fire.

Back at the arena, the show had been a huge success. Alessandra had an amazing match, which had gone over brilliantly with the fans, and more importantly, had managed to conceal her injury. Her opponent had spent most of the match working leg submissions, all in the name of being able to keep track of her leg so that he could control what impacts it took. Alessandra had managed to take the win, but was appreciative of the care he had taken of her.

She made her way to the back, where Koda was just about to head out for his match. She smiled as she saw him, and leaned against the wall, trying to act casually. She didn't want him to realise that the pain in her leg was genuine and not just selling for the crowd.

"Good luck Koda." Alessandra told him, seeing that he was nervous. Jack just slapped him on the back as their music hit.

"Alright kid, that's our cue!" He told him, taking a swig from his flask, before throwing it aside. "Come on kid, time to show this crowd what you're really made of!"

Koda and Jack came out to the ring to a mass of cheers. They were all chanting for them, being the home-town heroes. They had been steadily winning support in the local scene. There were a LOT of Wolves fans too, as was evidenced by the sheer number of signs and t-shirts dedicated to the incoming stars, but they were all still cheering for the local talent.

"They love us!" Koda said with a smile as he started pacing the ring. Jack laughed.

"I don't think it's me they love." He chuckled, hearing some Koda chants. Koda just pointed to Betty, who was in the front row, wearing one of Jack's t-shirts.

"You have your fans, look!" Koda stated. Jack looked out to Betty and almost burst out laughing. It was one of his shirts, but looking at the picture, it was an OLD one. VERY old!

"Bugger me; I haven't seen one of those in almost twelve years!" He said as he rolled out of the ring. He took his towel off from around his neck, draping it around Betty's neck and pulling her in, giving her a peck on the cheek. "Thanks for the boost love!"

He turned and rolled back into the ring as the ring announcer prepared to call out their opponents.

"Now, please welcome, weighing in at a combined weight of 419 pounds, your reigning and defending Tag Team Champions, Eddie Edwards, Davey Richards, THE WOLVES!" He called out as their music hit. The roof nearly came down as the crowd went ballistic seeing the tag champions enter the arena in preparation for their match. Carrying their titles to the ring, they climbed in, before posing on the ropes for the crowd. They let the crowd take in the image of their long-awaited return and title defence before turning over the belts, which the referee displayed for the crowd.

Jack stepped out onto the ring apron, while Davey and Eddie made a show of deciding who would start. Just as they planned, it ended up being Davey who would take the lead. As the first bell rang, he and Koda met in the middle of the ring, locking up for the first exchange. It wasn't long before Koda showed off his power, driving Davey effortlessly all the way across the ring. The more experienced wrestler had to steady himself on the ropes as he got to his feet and the crowd reacted. If the champs thought this would be an easy night, then they had another think coming!

On the other side of the world, a pilot was waiting by a private jet on the air strip. Being on Phillipe's payroll meant he had to contend with some pretty bizarre requests, but having a plane gassed up and ready on an airstrip that had last been used almost a decade before was definitely up there.

He leant against the side of the plane, casually smoking, while occasionally checking his watch. He had been told that someone would be coming that would need to get out in a hurry, but right now he was starting to wonder how much of a hurry he could really be in if he was already late.

He was almost about to call Phillipe to make sure he was in the right place when he suddenly heard gunfire. Looking across the fence that marked out the border, he saw the unmistakable form of the Aqua Ranger running straight for him, with several military vehicles hot on his tail.

"Holy SHIT!" He exclaimed as he crushed out his cigarette and sprinted up the stairs, getting into the cockpit to get things running. He cursed a blue streak as he tried to crank up the engine, knowing that although he was technically on the right side of the border, bullets didn't really respect borders!

James ran and leapt over the fence, landing with a quick roll to his feet on the right side of the fence, sprinting into the plane. The military vehicles on the opposite side of the fence fortunately broke off their pursuit, realising that their target was no longer within their borders. Getting into the cockpit, James finally took a seat, de-morphing.

"Jesus, Phillipe wasn't kidding when he said you would be in a hurry!" The pilot commented. James just breathlessly smiled.

"It wouldn't be the first time I left in a hurry." He assured him. "Amber Beach, and don't spare the horses!"

Back at the arena, the match had the whole audience on their feet! The Wolves were living up to their reputation, while Jack and Koda were certainly living up to their side of the deal.

Koda had just escaped Davey's clutches and lunged across, tagging in Jack, who came in like a man possessed! Before long all four men were battling in the ring with the crowd passionately cheering on both sides.

"Come on Koda, this is your moment!" Tyler screamed at him.

"Koda, Koda, Koda!" Chase started up again, starting up another chant from the crowd. However, just as Koda was about to try and throw Eddie from the ring, he managed to reverse the momentum, launching the Blue Ranger over the top rope to the outside.

Davey had just slammed Jack to the mat, and gestured to the corners. Both he and Eddie ascended opposite corners as Jack started to get to his feet. Looking to the ceiling and bellowing out a wolf-cry, Davey launched off the top, bringing both feet down on Jack's exposed back, driving him to the mat. Eddie waited until he was on his back before diving off himself, hitting his own double-stomp to Jack's chest, covering him for the pin.

Davey saw Koda on the outside getting up, and before he could get back in the ring, launched himself between the top and middle ropes, knocking him to the floor. The crowd all watched on as the referee's hand came down for the third and final time and the bell rang.

"Ladies and Gentlemen. Your winners, and STILL tag team champions, The Wolves!" The ring announcer called out. The audience was appreciative of the match, and cheered on The Wolves, though it was clear that there was disappointment that the home team didn't take home the win. As Davey and Eddie collected their belts, they walked up the ramp, while Koda got into the ring, running his hand through his hair and looking disappointed. The Wolves did applaud them though, and pointed to them, acknowledging the team's efforts before disappearing into the back. Jack was on his knees, clutching his chest and glaring at them as Koda put a hand on his shoulder, which he shrugged off.

The audience continued to show support as Jack got up, and they accepted the applause. Koda got to the ropes first, and was just stepping through when Jack ran up and kicked the rope, bringing it straight up between Koda's legs!

The crowd gasped, unable to believe what they had just seen as Koda staggered back into the ring, nursing his jewels. Jack reached into his boot, pulling out a set of knuckle-dusters, which he slipped onto his right hand, before blasting Koda straight in the face. Loud boos echoed through the arena as he mounted a prone Koda and began hammering into him, quickly leaving him bloody.

He got up, surveying his handy-work as the audience let their feelings be known, booing him loudly. Some were even throwing rubbish into the ring. A soda hit Jack straight in the chest, bursting on him and soaking him, but he didn't respond, instead just looking down at Koda. Deciding his work wasn't done, he grabbed Koda by the hair, dragging him back to his feet.

He drove Koda's head between his legs and wrapped his arms around his waist, lifting him up and turning him upside down. There was a hush as the audience begged him not to do what he was planning. He was setting up for a piledriver, a move which was legitimately one of the most dangerous in the business. It had shortened or ended the career of many performers. There were genuine screams as Jack fell to his backside, dropping Koda head-first to the mat, where he just flopped to the mat and stopped moving.

Jack continued to glare at Koda, his face one of pure disgust as he looked down on him, before going to his corner, where they had left their team t-shirts. He picked one up and laid it gently over Koda's face like a funeral shroud before he went to the ropes and rolled out of the ring. On his way to the back, he didn't even react as fans pelted him with garbage and insults, along with chants of "Koda" and "Why, Jack, Why?"


	27. Fishing Trip

The following day, the Rangers were in the main lobby of the museum, and their mood was very upbeat as they gathered. They were talking to Koda, who was still riding a high from the previous night.

"Dude, I SO wasn't expecting that! I thought you and Jack were lifting the belts for sure!" Chase commented. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Kayfabe." Koda said with a smile, citing the code of secrecy that surrounded the business. Much like the Magic Circle for magicians, professional wrestlers did what they could to protect the business for the sake of keeping the illusion alive. While at one time this was taken very seriously, with some promoters outright barring certain performers from seeing each other outside of performances to preserve the storyline of feuds, and in some instances going as far as to outright encourage wrestlers to take part in acts of assault etc. on those that questioned the 'legitimacy' of the sport, most now, like the magic community, now appreciated that the secret was out. People knew the business was a work, that it was just like any theatre production or TV show. Of course, just like TV shows, they did take exception to their actors blabbing away all their storylines and ruining the plot for the audience! "Carl and Jack tell me few days ago. They want to break up team. They think I ready to be singles wrestler!"

"Well Jack was pretty enthusiastic with that beat down." Shelby commented. "I was ready to jump that barrier!"

"Jack very good worker, he keep safe." Koda told them. "I was very nervous about piledriver, but he make sure I alright before show."

The piledriver was a move that was genuinely very dangerous. It required turning the guy on the receiving end upside down, and dropping towards the mat with the bodyweight of both wrestlers behind it! If the move was performed correctly, then it was perfectly safe. The one delivering the move landed on their ass with the other guy's head ending up never touching the mat. However, if it went wrong, the one on the other end would land head-first on the mat with both men's bodyweight driving down right on his neck! Many performers had suffered broken necks as a result of the move and indeed a lot of companies had banned its use for that very reason. However, many in the business still believed that the move could be performed safely, and the knowledge of how dangerous the move could be among fans who had heard the horror stories of the numerous performers who had suffered life-altering injuries as a result of the move meant that there was always a mystique behind its use and a collective holding of breath whenever a wrestler used it.

"So I guess you're going to be fighting Jack next?" Chase asked. Koda smiled and nodded.

"Of course! We feud now!" Koda said, beginning to get giddy at the mere thought of it. He had been a huge fan of Jack's even before he started training! It was a dream to be his tag team partner, to have Jack endorse him by teaming with him. Now though, in a bizarre way, Jack was giving him a greater endorsement. By feuding with Koda, he would be using his own reputation and skill to give Koda a head start on his career after the team ended. In a strange way, Koda almost seemed to be as happy about the idea of facing off against Jack as he was teaming with him! "Once I return of course, it look silly if I turn up on next show after he beat me so badly."

"Yeah, that was pretty tough to watch." Riley agreed. "That fake blood was pretty..."

"Oh, blood not fake, Jack blade me!" Koda said, almost bragging as he reached to a bandage over his forehead. "Here, want to see?"

"WHOA!" They all called out, recoiling as Koda pulled off the bandage. However, they soon all started to recover.

"Koda...there's not a mark there." Tyler told him. Koda looked surprised, and immediately grabbed a shiny metal case, looking in it. He confirmed they were right.

"What? But...?"

"Power of Energems mate." Chase reminded him, slapping Koda on the back. The Blue Ranger just looked a little disappointed that he couldn't show off his 'battle scars' a little longer. Most of the guys got at least a few weeks with a noticeable mark to show for it when they bled. Betty arrived, carrying a large hamper and a cooler, putting them down next to them.

"There you go kids, there's the refreshments you asked for." Betty told them. "That should keep you going."

"Thanks Betty." Shelby responded. Just then, Kendall arrived.

"Alright guys, I need you down in the lab and..." She started to say, before seeing all the equipment they had with them. They were also dressed rather oddly, wearing vests that carried a variety of hooks and brightly coloured flies on them. She furrowed her brows. "What's going on? Why are you all dressed like that?"

"We're going fishing?" Chase asked her. She just continued to stare blankly. "Don't tell me you forgot."

"Forgot what?" Kendall asked. "Can't you go another time?"

"Ms Morgan, this has been arranged for a while." Riley tried to remind her. "It's one of the few times Matt could afford the time to take us."

"M...M...Matt?" She started to stammer, before hearing someone approach her from behind. She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around, seeing Matt standing behind her. The tablet popped out of her hands, and she fumbled around, trying to get a grip on it again as it fell towards the floor. Matt was quick enough to catch it before it smashed on the floor.

"You dropped this." He said with a smile. Kendall took the tablet back with a muttered 'thank you', and stood, looking down to the floor. She suddenly became aware of the hideous and revealing uniform Flash insisted she wear now, and started trying to cover herself as much as possible with her arms. "Um...hi."

"Hi." Kendall said rather quietly, her voice finding it difficult to escape her throat. She hadn't actually seen Matt since they had broken up. They'd exchanged an e-mail or two, if that's what they could be called since they rarely went more than a few sentences. "You, um...you look good."

"Thanks." Matt answered. "You look...um...different."

"It's...not by choice." Kendall told him.

"It didn't look like your kind of look." Matt responded, barely able to take his eyes off Kendall, the look on his face betraying the rather uncomfortable conversation. "It's...different."

"It's the new boss's idea." Kendall told him. "It's...a long story."

There was a bit of an awkward pause, at which Kendall tried to find something to say.

"So...how are things on the farm?" She asked.

"Oh, they're good. The corn came in really well." He told her. "The chickens have been laying well. The corn is pretty good..."

"You mentioned..."

"Yeah...lot of corn." Matt said.

There was another awkward pause as they just stood before each other. Kendall eventually just coughed.

"I have some work to do in the lab." She told him. "Ivan and Tyler are waiting...it was great seeing you."

"Yeah, likewise." Matt answered as Kendall left, stumbling a little on her own feet which seemed incapable of leaving fast enough for her own comfort. Matt just took a deep breath, before turning around. He found his way barred by Betty.

"So, you're Matt huh?" She asked.

"Yeah." He answered, before Betty started waving a hand in front of his face, thoroughly confusing him.

"When did Christopher Columbus land on America?" She asked him.

"1492." He answered.

"Mhmm. How about the Declaration of Independence. When was that signed?" She asked.

"August 2nd 1776." He responded, by now thoroughly baffled by who she was and what she was doing. "What?...who...?"

"Well, I'm stumped then." She responded, shaking her head. "You let my doodlebug go? I figured you had to be blind or stupid to do that."

"Um..." He didn't get to say anything else as she left. He just looked to the others completely confused.

"Does someone want to let me know what that was about?" He asked them.

"That would be Kendall's grandmother." Shelby informed him. "Betty doesn't really do subtle."

"I kind of noticed." Matt answered. "So, should we all go before this gets any more awkward than it already is?"

"That sounds like an EXCELLENT idea!" Chase said, gathering up his equipment and heading for the parking lot, with the rest of the party not far behind.

Over in Heckyl's ship, Heckyl was sitting on his command chair, listening as one of his monsters once again started to vent his frustrations as Heckyl just sat, resting on his hand, a drink in his other hand, while the monster's rant went completely over his head.

"Yes, yes, I know you're so powerful, you should get a crack at the Rangers." Heckyl said in an offhand way. "I hear this from many of your peers, but what makes your pitch any better than theirs?"

"I've got my electro rod!" The monster stated, holding up a fishing rod. Heckyl just blinked at him, before shrugging.

"Well, I know who to come to if I want some fish fingers then." Heckyl stated, waving him off.

"But Master Heckyl...!" He started to protest, but Heckyl cut him off as he heard an alarm sounding. He looked to Wrench.

"What was that?" Heckyl asked him. The cyborg went to one of the computers as Heckyl, Fury and Singe all came in around him. Hookbeard just started pacing impatiently in the back, muttering and complaining to no one in particular.

"The satellite network's picked up something heading towards Earth." Wrench told him. "It's moving fast!"

"What is it? A meteorite?" Fury demanded. "I already survived one of those!"

"It doesn't appear to be, it seems to be some kind of technology." Wrench told them. "I'm getting energy signatures, communications signals coming from it. Its flight path is more controlled than something simply falling through space."

"Is it a ship?" Singe asked, pulling in closer. Wrench shook his head.

"I doubt it, it's much too small." Wrench answered. "Unless it's a Bookala, those things shrink themselves down to the size of a doll to travel, but since it's giving off communications signals, it's more likely to be some kind of communications device or probe."

"Whatever it is, I don't like surprises." Heckyl stated, before turning to Hookbeard. "You there, don't go too far. I want you to go with Fury and Singe. Whatever this thing is, I want it. If we know about it, then no doubt the Rangers do too."

"With pleasure!" Fury responded, gathering up his sword as the three monsters headed out of the ship.

Back in the Dino Lab, Kendall had changed back into something a little more dignified. She had always known that it was inevitable she would run into Matt again, he was Riley's brother, but so far neither of their schedules had allowed much time for that. It was, for a long time, she had felt something of a blessing. Despite their assertion that they would part as friends, she hadn't seen him since the break up, and their e-mails had been rather sparse, and little more than social pleasantries. Since she was overseeing Riley's education, she did have to update Matt and Mrs Griffin on his progress, but when it came to Matt, often she would find herself just staring at a screen trying to think of what she should tell him.

Their first meeting since she had left Millport had been...well...to say it was less than ideal would have been like saying the dinosaurs had a bad day when the asteroids fell. She couldn't imagine what he thought seeing her in that ridiculous uniform that Flash insisted she had to wear on the museum floor.

It was bad enough seeing him when she couldn't prepare herself for his visit. She could have made sure that when he saw her she didn't look like she'd given up on palaeontology and gotten a job at Hooters. She could have prepared something to say so that she didn't sound as eloquent as Koda when he'd been woken up too early. Instead, she had found herself unable to maintain even basic motor control of her hands and feet. She couldn't help going over what she said, and thinking she had to sound like an idiot in front of him. She had never been hugely vain, but she now understood why some people always liked to look good in front of their exes. All things considered, Matt had to have thought he'd dodged a serious bullet.

As she came in, Ivan was sitting back on a rock, his feet resting up on one of the workbenches, his cell phone pressed against his face. He was smiling brightly as he listened to the other end.

"Now, milady you know that you are always the first priority of my heart, but alas my work here demands my attention." Ivan said. "But of course I would much rather be there with you, Erin, but I have sworn to help Ms Morgan in her task this day."

He let out a laugh as he heard whatever Erin had to say in response.

"It would be my fondest pleasure. Of course I will escort you to the movie theatre tonight." Ivan told her. "Sorry to cut this short, but Ms Morgan demands my attention. Until then, know that the only Wonder Woman in my thoughts is you."

As he hung up, Tyler just laughed.

"She actually liked that line?" Tyler asked him. Ivan shrugged as he put away his phone.

"I certainly hear no complaints from the young lady." Ivan told him.

"Also, why are you blaming Ms Morgan? We can handle things here, if you wanted..."

"My good man, it does not do to rush at the beck and call of a young lady lest one gets taken for granted." Ivan said cockily. "Absence as they say makes the heart grow fonder. And if the last few rendezvous have been anything to go by, I'd say the lady is quite keen."

"You know girls really love when guys talk about them behind their back." Kendall snapped at him. "Oh, and we just love it when we get jerked around."

"I certainly didn't hear any complaints from the lady." Ivan answered. Kendall just rolled her eyes and decided that this was a conversation she could live without. She saw an alert flashing up on her computer.

"Tyler, how long has that been there?" She asked him. He glanced at the computer before shrugging and turning back to her.

"A couple of minutes." He told her. "I didn't hear sirens so I figured it was just an error message or..."

"Tyler, that's our orbital warning system!" Kendall told him, getting to the desk and starting to pull up information.

"Orbital warning system?" Ivan asked, looking a little confused. Tyler nodded in agreement.

"We have one of those?" He asked her. "When did you have time to launch a satellite?" Kendall just sighed.

"I have a worm program in the world wide satellite system." Kendall told them. "Since Singe arrived, I figured it wouldn't be a bad idea to have a warning in place to let us know if anyone or anything else is heading our way."

"I guess that makes sense." Tyler commented. "Wait, you hacked into the satellite system?"

"Yes, there's a hell of a lot of stuff in orbit these days." Kendall reminded him. Since the beginning of the space race, the governments of the world and private corporations had indeed put a considerable amount of objects into orbit. Now, between Sat Nav, satellite television, communications networks and others, there was a pretty huge number of satellites! "All of them can be accessed and with a little tweaking of their programming can give us an advanced warning of anything approaching."

"Don't a lot of those satellites belong to the Government?" Tyler asked her. "You know, I think they take a pretty dim view of that kind of thing."

"Believe me, it wouldn't be the first time I've been in Government systems." Kendall told him matter-of-factly, like she wasn't talking about something that could potentially land her in prison if she was ever found out! "There's something coming...it looks too small to be a ship though."

"Perhaps it's just a meteorite." Ivan suggested. "They do occur you know."

"No, it's definitely some kind of technology." Kendall answered. "Exactly what though...we'll only know once it lands."

"It's definitely coming here then?" Tyler asked her. She just nodded.

"It should land pretty soon." She told him. "I'd say judging by its trajectory and velocity and presuming both remain constant, it should land just north of Amber Beach sometime in the next hour."


	28. Gone Fishing

There was quite a bit more noise than Matt was used to on fishing trips. Back when he was young, his dad used to take him fishing on this very lake whenever time would allow. It wasn't a hobby he had much time for, but he always enjoyed the peace of it all when he did.

It was clear that Riley's friends were not into fishing. Well, perhaps Koda, who if he didn't know any better he'd say had given up on fishing and was happy to just go wading into the lake, though he assured him that was how they would catch fish back in his day. Knowing that Koda's people pretty much relied on hunting to feed themselves, he wasn't really going to argue the point or doubt him on this. However, it seemed like Shelby and Chase were really just there for the day out. The way they'd toss their lines out was more likely to cause someone an injury than catch any fish. Still, given the laughter, they seemed to be having fun, and that was the point of the trip after all.

He was so far not having much luck catching anything himself. While he wasn't really overly concerned about bringing home something for dinner, he usually expected to bring something back any time he was out here. As he watched the gentle ripples of the water, looking for signs of movement near his lure, he already knew why it was so hard to concentrate.

He always knew he would run into Kendall again. With Riley still on the team, and with her being responsible for overseeing his education modules, there wasn't really any avoiding it. He wished he could have been a little more smooth and care-free, the way everyone always told him he carried himself, but when he spoke to her...he could only find himself talking about corn! He could remember seeing the way she looked at him, and how awkward their conversation was. How could it be any other way? The first time they had met since they had chosen to go their separate ways and he had talked for what felt like hours about corn. He was certain she had to be thinking she had dodged a bullet breaking up with him. He had to sound like an idiot.

"I've got a nibble!" Chase called out, just like he had several times before. Matt just smiled and kept concentrating on what he was doing. He had already responded to a few of these calls, and the only thing that could be said was that Chase was gathering a fine collection of garbage from the lake. He wasn't going to make that mistake again, he'd wait until Chase actually had something to show him this time.

"Another boot fish?" Shelby asked as she saw his catch. Matt just laughed. "How many is that now?"

"Hey, I'm a lover, not a fisherman." Chase responded with a sigh, tossing it aside into his collection, which now had about five boots (making Matt wonder how many one-legged fishermen there were, and why people kept disposing of their boots in this lake in particular), some plastic bags, a life preserver, and something that looked a little suspiciously like a set of black pyjamas, and the name "Romero" stitched into the inside label, making him suspect it once belonged to someone at the abandoned Romero farm a few miles upstream. They had resolved to at least make sure they disposed of his collection properly on their way home. There was no point throwing it back now he had dragged it out. "Besides, I'm not even sure there are any fish. Koda's out there, he probably scared them all off!"

Pretty much right on cue, they heard a splash as Koda's hand shot into the water like a blur. When he pulled it out again, he had an absolutely huge trout in his hand.

"Lunch!" Koda declared proudly, before seeing another. He snatched down, catching this one by the tail. Dragging it out, he held it up triumphantly. "Dinner!"

"What? He's done this before!" Chase protested childishly as the others looked to him. Shelby pulled out her cell phone.

"Tyler and the guys have got to see this." Shelby said, looking impressed.

"I thought you were vegetarian." Chase muttered. She just shrugged.

"That doesn't mean I can't find it impressive Koda can catch more with his bare hands than you can with a top-of-the-line fishing rod." She teased him, lining up the shot. "The guys are NOT going to believe this!"

Somewhere in the forests, Fury was pacing impatiently, while Wrench tinkered with one of his devices. Hookbeard had taken a seat, resting up against a huge oak tree while he waited. They had been sent in search of the device Wrench had been tracking from orbit, but so far they had only narrowed it down to an area a few miles across. There was some kind of interference that was stopping him getting any more exact a location.

"What is taking so long?" Fury grumbled. "You said we'd find that thing in no time!"

"I said it would LAND within the hour, I didn't say how long it would take to find it!" Wrench corrected him, shaking his device. "This area was right in the flight path of the ship when we crashed, who knows how much debris is out here? The signal's really hazy..."

"What you mean is another one of your gizmos is as useless a piece of junk as you are!" Fury snarled. Wrench just shook his head defiantly.

"I just need some time to figure this out!" He protested. "Besides, we're not going anywhere until Singe gets back anyway!"

"He better hurry up. How long does it take to pee anyway?" Fury complained as he looked into the bushes, where Singe had disappeared for some privacy after complaining that he needed to freshen up. "This is taking too long; I'm going to find him! You get that working in the next ten seconds or I'm taking over!"

Fury went into the bushes in search of Singe, looking for any signs of the mysterious monster. He had never trusted him ever since he had shown up on Earth. He always seemed to carry himself like there was something he was hiding. Every now and then he felt he caught a little slip, when Wrench appeared to say or do something that indicated he knew things he shouldn't or that he had a lot more information than he claimed to about their search for the remaining Energems.

As he followed some footprints, he was sure he could hear Singe's voice. It was only as he got closer it became apparent he wasn't talking to himself, or at least if he was, he was only voicing half the conversation.

"Yes, we're close; I know what I'm doing." Singe stated. It was only as he got closer, Fury could see him holding something. He remembered Singe talking on a communicator once before when he thought no one was listening. "If we move too quickly..."

"What are you doing Singe?" Fury snapped, causing Singe to look around in shock. Fury could move very quietly when he wanted to, and he had caught Singe off-guard. He gestured to his hand. "Another call to your grand ma ma?"

"Why...yes, I thought I'd fill her in on my adventures while we were taking a break." Singe answered.

"You said you needed to relieve yourself, not make a call to your grandmother!" Fury growled at him. "How long does it take you to pee anyway?"

"My kind is comprised mainly of molten magma." He reminded Fury, looking down at a rock on the ground. "It takes a while."

With that, he put away his communicator and headed back towards the others. Fury just looked to the rock and gulped.

"I've heard of passing stones, but that's ridiculous!" He commented, before following Singe back to the others to continue their search.

Meanwhile, in the Dino Lab, Kendall was still working on her own search, while Tyler and Ivan were waiting for some kind of instruction. Sarah had come down during her lunch break, and was rushing around, looking for things to do.

"Alright Ms Morgan, I've de-gaussed the coils and regulated the magnetic fields in the blasters." Sarah told her. "Is there anything else I can do?"

"Adjust the sights. Chase said his was a little off last time." Kendall told her. Sarah just nodded enthusiastically and ran off to complete her task. Ivan looked at her a little suspiciously.

"You're allowing her to work on the weapons?" He asked Kendall as soon as she was out of earshot. Kendall just shrugged.

"It's not important, I've already run diagnostics on them." Kendall told them. "She just keeps asking for things to do."

"But those are our weapons." Ivan reiterated. "We may rely on them..."

"And I've not asked her to do anything difficult. It's all just busy-work that would be covered by a simple diagnostic." Kendall assured him. "I just need her out from under my feet for a little while. Believe me, it's all busy-work. I could teach Koda to do it if I showed him often enough."

"Wait, de-gaussing the coils, regulate the magnetic...aren't those all things you used to get Shelby to do?" Tyler asked her. "Didn't you get her to do that every day for like six months?"

"Yes, I did." Kendall answered with a smile as she went back to her work. Tyler's phone bleeped, at which he pulled it out from his coat pocket.

"Oh, I am NOT telling her that one!" Tyler said as he answered it. "Speaking of the devil."

He opened the message, finding it was a picture. Koda was standing knee-deep in the lake, holding a pair of massive fish. Tyler just chuckled. Clearly they were having a good time up at the lake.

"Nice catch!" Tyler laughed, showing the phone to the Gold Ranger. Ivan just scoffed at the image.

"Call that a fish?" He asked. "Back in my day, we had fish that could eat an entire ship!"

"I find that highly doubtful." Sarah said as she came back in, carrying one of the blasters in her hand. "Ms Morgan, there's something jammed in here!"

"Ivan, they're fishing for trout, not whales." Tyler told him.

"Besides, whales are mammals, not fish." Sarah added. "Not to mention they hardly ever attack humans."

"That's not what the fishermen I spoke to said." Ivan huffed.

"Yeah, and we all know how reliable the storytellers in your time were, don't we?" Tyler teased him. "Um...Sarah, you might want to put that down..."

"It's alright; I think I've got it...AHHHHH!" She shrieked as the blaster suddenly went off, scorching the nearby wall and narrowly missing everyone. Kendall just glared at her. Sarah gulped.

"Um...I think...I think my break is over." She said cautiously, putting the blaster down and backing away carefully. "I'll just leave this here..."

"That would be a good idea!" Kendall said, taking the blaster from her as she left. She almost bumped into two men coming off the elevator.

"Thank you, try to keep it confidential." Phillipe replied, stepping aside and letting an embarrassed Sarah get onto the elevator.

"Dr Navarro?" Ivan asked.

"DAD?" Tyler called out as he saw James with him. He ran up, hugging his dad tightly. "What are you doing here?"

"That was the Zandarian Science Institute on the phone." Phillipe informed them. "They've completed their scans, and they can't find any traces of the Silver Energem energy anywhere on Earth."

"They can't?" Tyler asked.

"I thought I had a lead but...it was a dead-end." James told his son sadly. "Unfortunately, we're pretty much running out of options."

"Are you sure?" Kendall asked Phillipe. "Maybe you missed...?"

"I've had the finest minds and best equipment at my disposal running around the clock." Phillipe told her dejectedly. "If they can't find anything..."

"But the Energems can't be destroyed." Ivan stated. "It has to be somewhere."

"Keeper wasn't always on Earth though." Kendall reminded them. "Space-faring technology has existed since before our Jurassic era. If the Silver Energem isn't on Earth..."

Just then, an alarm sounded. Kendall furrowed her brows as she checked her computer.

"What's that?" Phillipe asked her.

"I've been tracking a small object on its way into our atmosphere." Kendall told them. "I've got a location. It's not far from here..."

There was another alarm, but this one sounded different. She hurriedly checked a computer to verify her results.

"How many alarms do you have?" James asked her.

"Do you really want to know?" Kendall asked in response. "This...this is incredible. The object coming down...it's giving off a unique radiation."

"Radiation? What kind of radiation?" Tyler asked her. She looked straight at the others.

"Silver Energem energy." She told them. They all looked among each other cautiously.

"I don't claim to be an expert on modern technology, but when something like this happened in my day, we took it to be something of a remarkable coincidence." Ivan stated.

"The readings are definitely Silver Energem energy." Kendall confirmed. "But I agree, having it show up now and so close is more than a little convenient."

"So what do we do?" Ivan asked.

"We have to check it out." Tyler stated. "If there's even a tiny chance that's the Silver Energem we have to find out!"

"It could be a trap." Kendall sighed, checking out the location. It was in the middle of the woods, where an ambush would be all too easy to set up. The Silver Energem showing up on their doorstep just moments after they were considering widening their search beyond Earth was the kind of coincidence that couldn't be ignored. She took a deep breath. "We have to go."

"I guess there are five of us." Tyler said with a shrug. "If it is a trap, we'll be ready."

Back at the lake, Riley, Chase, Koda and Matt had stopped for a break while they had some lunch. Betty had ensured they had plenty of snacks, which was just as well since so far Koda was the only one that had managed to catch anything. They had put his catch into a cool box to take home while they took full benefit of Betty's packed lunch.

While they were taking their rest, Riley was practicing a few casts. Matt could only watch him as he tried to get the hook into a can he had placed on the ground. The Green Ranger smiled as the hook rattled inside the can on his third attempt.

"Ha! There we go, beat that!" Riley said with a grin. Matt just shook his head. This was just something about Riley that had always been part of who he was. He was always competitive. Riley was all about pushing himself and improving himself, like he always had something to prove. It was a little grating at times, especially when it was him that he was trying to compete with.

Matt had never wanted to compete with Riley. He had figured out from when Riley was barely able to walk that they were vastly different people and always would be. He had never seen any need to go up against his brother. Matt wasn't just content in Millport, he was genuinely happy. It wasn't his fault that he was seen as something of a local hero, but Riley had always seen the esteem people held Matt in and had taken to using Matt as a yardstick to measure himself against. While it was flattering to know how much Riley looked up to him, it also felt a little wearing to know that he had a desire to always try and best him, to prove himself against.

"Alright, if you insist." Matt sighed, lining up as he prepared to throw his cast. He could see Riley watching his move intently, hardly blinking. Matt considered throwing the contest, throwing a cast that would miss the can just to get it over and done with, but seeing the analytical look in Riley's eyes, he knew Riley would be able to tell if he didn't try.

He saw Chase and Shelby eating some noodles, and a thought occurred to him. If he couldn't throw the match, perhaps he could turn it into a joke. Maybe he could make the whole thing as ridiculous as it felt to him. Taking a moment to measure his throw, he cast the line. The hook went wide, snatching the hat off Chase's head. The hat and the line flew through the air, before landing on top of the can. Everyone but Riley started laughing.

"Alright, I guess that's the match then." Matt stated, going to collect the hat and bring it back to Chase. Riley just rolled his eyes in protest.

"Oh come on, that doesn't count! You didn't mean to get Chase's hat!" Riley whined. "That doesn't count!"

"Riley, I didn't bring you and your friends out here to have a competition; I brought you out here to have fun." Matt told him.

"But we are having fun!" Riley said petulantly. Matt didn't know what got to him this time, he didn't know why on this particular occasion Riley's competitive nature which he had put up with his whole life finally got to him, but he finally found his patience running out.

"No, Riley, we WERE having fun!" Matt said abruptly, picking up his equipment. "I'm going out on the boat!"

"On the boat...why?" Riley asked as he strode away.

"To get away from you!" Matt snapped as he left. He mentally kicked himself as he left. He had invited Riley and the others out to have fun, not to get into a fight with his little brother in one of his all too rare visits. He had always known what Riley was like, he usually didn't let it get to him, but this time it had just gotten under his skin. Deciding that there was no point in going back until he had a chance to cool down, he kept on going, loading up his boat and pushing it out onto the lake.

"Awkward!" Shelby said, seeing the scene unfolding. Riley just sighed and turned back to them.

"Its fine, he just...he'll be back." Riley told them, before looking to Chase and Shelby. "What are you guys eating?"

"Noodles." Shelby told him, holding the pot towards him. "Want some?"

"Those aren't noodles." Riley told her. "That would be the bait!"

Shelby and Chase looked to each other in horror, before starting to spit their unintended snack onto the ground.


	29. Silver Message

"Are you sure that stupid thing is working?" Fury complained as he swung his sword lazily by his side. "It feels like we've been walking in circles for hours! I'm sure we've passed that tree before!"

"It's a forest, it's full of trees." Singe remarked sarcastically as they followed Wrench. The cyborg was still checking his scanner.

"No, we're right on track. My last adjustment cleared the interference right up." He declared proudly. "Now just keep up will you? I'm sure the Rangers are right on our trail..."

"Or perhaps not." Singe said as he pointed up ahead. A short way from them, a truck skidded to a halt and a group disembarked. They immediately recognised Ivan, Phillipe, Tyler and Kendall. The man with them, they weren't too sure about, but given the fact he was with them and wearing an aquamarine hoodie had them convinced he was the Aqua Ranger.

"How...how did they get here so fast?" Wrench whined, shaking his scanner aggressively. "This stupid thing..."

"It seems like the blond human's brain is more than a match for yours." Singe taunted him. Wrench just sneered.

"That human, she thinks she's so great, if I get my hands on her again..."

"Yes, you confronted her before didn't you?" Singe asked. "How did that work out for you?"

Wrench just fell silent. He had confronted Kendall on Sledge's ship, hoping to end his humiliation at her hands and bring their rivalry to an end himself. Unfortunately for him, that was when the Purple Energem had bonded to her, giving her its power. The fight had ended with him losing him losing his limbs!

"They may be ahead of us, but that just means they know where that thing is." Fury told them. "Keep quiet and follow me! We'll let them do the hard work for us!"

Meanwhile, Kendall was checking her own equipment, narrowing down the landing site as much as possible before they had to get out and go the rest of the way on foot. It was an exciting time; this was the first time they had picked up any sign of the Silver Energem power since the whole adventure had started. While it had, arguably the most power, it was also the most elusive, strangely since the Titanosaurus, the creature from whom it took its strength, was never a stealthy creature.

It was also the final Energem they needed to find. Once they located the tenth Energem, once it bonded to someone, they would have the power of all ten Energems and could seek to eradicate the threat posed by Heckyl and his kind once and for all! Of course Kendall also knew that they couldn't let excitement cloud their judgement, not when they were so close. It was easy to allow themselves to give in to excitement, seeing the end in sight for the war, but that was also when dangerous mistakes could be made. They had already considered that it was an odd coincidence that it showed up now, not to mention they had to be sure that if they knew about this happening, Heckyl and his crew couldn't be far away.

"There it is!" Tyler called out, finding a metal object of some description imbedded in a crater in the ground. Given the scorched and damaged trees nearby, it seemed that it had come down very recently. As they arrived, they could still feel heat coming from it, and there was still smoke billowing out, reducing visibility. Kendall tapped him on the shoulder and gestured to the others.

"Set up a perimeter. We don't want to take any chances." She told him as she approached cautiously. They all morphed to be on the safe side, expecting trouble to come at any minute. Kendall went to the object, confident her suit would protect her from any unforeseen radiation and the residual heat. It wasn't like she had ever planned to test it to those extremes, but thanks to James, they knew that the suits could withstand the temperature of the Earth's mantle, and so she was sure she'd be safe with whatever this was. Tyler kept her covered, but kept close as the others took up positions round about her.

"What is it?" Tyler asked her.

"Well, it isn't a ship. There are no life signs inside." Kendall told him. "It doesn't look like it's meant to open up, and the energy readings are definitely Silver Energem, but they're far too low for it to be inside."

"So what is it?" Tyler asked her. As Kendall looked around it for some kind of controls, she felt a jolt running through her, and dropped it almost instantly. They all prepared, fixing their attention on it, wondering it had been a trap, but instead a hologram appeared before them. It took a moment for them to make out, but as the transmission cleared up, they could see the undeniable form of a Ranger.

"Greetings, I am the Silver Ranger!" The figure declared, confirming his identity in a regal tone. "I send you this message from the far reaches of space!"

"Well, I guess that explains why we couldn't find the Energem on Earth." James declared. "He's been in space this whole time!"

"Although I am bonded to the Silver Energem, the vast distance between myself and my Titanozord has caused it to become deactivated." The Silver Rangers message continued. "The location of the Titanozord is..."

Before he could give the location though, a blast rang out, and damaged the pod, abruptly ending the message. The Rangers turned to see Fury, Singe, Wrench and Hookbeard coming out of the undergrowth.

"What the devil were you doing?" Fury demanded, snatching his Last Blaster from him. "I told you not to damage it!"

"I thought I had a clean shot!" Singe protested. "Still, it doesn't look too damaged. I'm sure once we destroy these Rangers, Wrench will be able to fix it soon enough anyway."

"Not going to happen fire freak!" Tyler cried out as the team rushed their enemies, screaming out as steel clashed against steel.

"You almost destroyed me Aqua Ranger. I owe you!" Fury growled as he attacked James relentlessly.

"You ALREADY destroyed my life!" James shot back. "Believe me; we aren't even CLOSE to even!"

Back at the side of the lake, Riley, Shelby, Koda and Chase were trying to make the best of the rest of their day. After their earlier blow-up, Matt had gone out on his boat to get away from Riley to cool off. It had led to a much more subdued atmosphere. Chase pulled in his line and sighed.

"Look at that, now I have a licence plate to my collection." He said, before furrowing his brows. "Um...an Amber Beach licence plate? I thought only states issued licence plates?"

"They do." Shelby told him, taking the licence plate and inspecting it. "No doubt it's some kind of novelty item or souvenir or something."

"I guess that explains why I've not found the rest of the car." Chase answered with a shrug, throwing the licence plate aside. Riley was measuring yet another fish, looking a little disappointed in the result as he threw it into the cool box for them to prepare later.

"I didn't do anything wrong did I?" Riley asked them. They all just looked at him. "I mean, you all saw it, Matt just blew up at me for no reason."

"Yeah, the guy that smiled and patted the goat that head-butted him in the nards is just known for losing his cool." Shelby answered sarcastically. Chase just nudged her. Being an only child, Shelby didn't really know what it was like fighting with siblings. It was very different from just fighting with a friend.

"Riley, it's probably not even anything to do with you." Chase told him. The Green Ranger just closed over the cool box, sitting on it.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked.

"Well, you were there when he ran into Ms Morgan right?" Shelby asked him. "That was all kinds of uncomfortable.

"So?" Riley asked in response.

"Well, if it was that awkward for us, how much worse do you think it was for them?" Chase asked in response.

"So he just takes it out on me?" Riley asked them. "Well, that's fair!"

"Nobody said it was." Shelby assured him. "But from what I saw, it looks like things ran pretty deep between them. Like, maybe they were about to get serious, and then it all ended pretty abruptly. I don't think we can blame him for not having a lot of patience with Riley the Super Competitor."

"I'm not that bad!" Riley protested. Shelby and Chase just looked at each other, before shaking their heads and leaving. "Wait, what was that? What's that meant to mean?"

"Never mind Riley." Chase answered. "You just...keep measuring the fish."

Riley just humphed petulantly as he flopped down next to the cool box. Koda came over, carrying another pair of fish.

"I think this biggest one!" He told Riley proudly, holding it out for him. Riley just sighed and got out his measuring tape.

"Let's check shall we?" He asked as he took the fish from Koda.

Back at the site of the battle, the Rangers were just about turning the tide, aiming to keep the monsters away from the pod. While they had damaged it and interrupted the message, they had no idea if there was more information still to be gleaned from it. Kendall leapt onto Fury's shoulders as he was battling James, before arching backwards, pulling Fury over backwards, head-first straight into the ground. James helped Kendall up as Fury tumbled away, nursing his head.

"That was pretty impressive." He complimented her. Kendall just shrugged.

"It's a little thing I picked up from Alessandra." She answered as the team all lined up alongside her.

"What do you say we give these creeps a sabre send off?" Tyler asked. They all powered up their blades, unleashing a barrage of blasts that sent Wrench, Hookbeard, Fury and Singe flying way into the distance. As the smoke cleared, they couldn't see any trace of them.

"You think...?"

"I don't think our luck's that good." Kendall interrupted Phillipe. "Let's check on this thing before they come back."

Kendall went to the pod, which was clearly badly damaged. There was a hole punched in its side, and the inner workings were exposed.

"That looks pretty bad." James said sadly.

"It looks bad, but...the interior doesn't look too bad, the armour took the worst of it." Kendall told him. "I might be able to get it up and running again, then we can hear the rest of the Silver Ranger's message."

"Still no sign of them." Ivan confirmed as he checked the surrounding area quickly. "I say discretion in this case is the better part of valour."

"In short, let's get out of here before they come back looking for this thing." James agreed as he picked up the pod, heading for the truck. "The sooner we find out what's going on the better."

Not too far away, Fury and his companions were just recovering from the blast. Singe was the first on his feet, but Fury wasn't far behind him.

"What were you playing at?" Fury screamed at him, shoving Singe aggressively. "Thanks to you, we'll NEVER find the location of that Titanozord!"

"Oh, you really think so?" Singe asked, showing them the tracking device Wrench had been using.

"Hey, that's mine!" He whined.

"And I FINALLY got it working!" Singe told him, throwing the device back to him. "Although the message was cut off, I figured if he was about to tell the Rangers the location, it couldn't be too far. A local search with a few tweaks and voila, the location of one Titanozord."

"How...How did you...?" Fury started to stammer, before Singe just silenced him, retrieving his Last Blaster.

"When it comes to finding things, I have my ways." He answered. "Now, this lake isn't far from here, and the Rangers will still have to piece together what's left of that message so we have a head start. What do you say we don't blow the advantage this time? Come Hookbeard! It's a big lake; we'll need your skills when we get there!"

As he started to head off, Wrench just stared at his scanning device.

"I don't understand how he started this working. I've tried everything!" Wrench told him. Fury just pulled him in closer.

"He knows far too much for my liking." He told Wrench. "The way he always seems to be one step ahead, he knows way more than he's telling us."

"You think he's...?"

"I think we need to keep an eye on him." Fury confirmed. "I doubt it'll be long before we see his true face."

With that, they followed on, feeling that while Singe did indeed know the next step to finding the Titanozord, they didn't want to take any chances finding out what he'd do once he did.

Over on the lake, Matt was sitting on his boat, casting his line lazily out into the water. He hadn't really caught anything, but right now he wasn't actually trying to. The appeal of catching fish had kind of disappeared with Riley deciding as usual to turn everything into a major competition.

Matt could be competitive at times, but in general, he'd never really cared much for it. He knew what he was good at, and he knew how good he was. That was always good enough for him; he didn't need to have trophies or certificates to show to everyone and anyone to prove that he had done impressive things. He didn't even particularly care if people even believed him when he told him about the things he had done. The way he saw it, if people didn't respect or believe him when he told them his accomplishments, then battering them over the head with a gold-plated tin cup wasn't likely to convince them to change their view of him.

Riley had always been the opposite though. He wasn't obnoxious like his childhood rival Burt, but he always seemed to have a chip on his shoulder when it came to his accomplishments. He was always happiest when he was bringing home a new trophy or another test with an A+ grade on it. The flipside was he would always sulk when things didn't go his way. While he was overwhelmed at Riley's achievement in his fencing tournament, winning the silver in all three events on his first appearance, Riley had a face like a wet weekend the whole way home. It never occurred to him that as a first time participant with little to no formal training he should be overjoyed that he had bested many people who had been participating for years! True, he had taken Riley's side when that smug prick Dr Runga had teased him following his win and knocked him flat on his back. He shook his head, no, it wasn't Dr Runga...it was Carlo. Why had Dr Runga, a man he'd never even met cross his mind there?

He understood Riley and his need for affirmation; he just wished he could get more of it from himself than what others thought of him. It was something that was always frustrating for Matt to watch, but normally he just accepted it as part of who Riley was. He couldn't think why it bothered him in this particular incidence, or why he just had to get away from him. There were always going to be critics and detractors no matter how much he accomplished. Whether he got into a good college, whether he got a great job out in the city, there would always be someone that didn't appreciate him or respect his contribution or try to take credit for his theories or look down on him for being a...

He had to shake his head as he realised his thoughts were tailing off. The last couple of things weren't anything to do with Riley. No one had taken credit for things he had done, and no one had looked down on him or thought he didn't belong because of prejudice; those things were...those were things that Kendall had experienced.

He rested his rod in a holder and lay back on the boat, resting to try and straighten out his thoughts. He guessed it wasn't too hard to see the connection, or why his thoughts had gotten confused there. It wasn't as though being on the team was the only similarity between his brother and Kendall. Both of them had a stubborn, competitive streak, and both of them felt the need to prove their worth to people that thought of them as strange or undeserving. When he had heard about what Dr Runga had done to Kendall, he hadn't met the man, but he did know if he had he'd probably have laid him out just like he did to Carlo.

He sighed and closed his eyes. He knew he'd have to go back and apologise to Riley. This wasn't about him at all, and he knew it. He knew running into Kendall again would be awkward, and actually doing so was no easier than he had built it up to be in his mind. It brought back to him how he had felt, how he still felt about her, and the fact that there was a time he was considering that perhaps she was the one.

He snapped up in the boat as he heard what sounded a lot like lightning. He started to look around, though curiously enough, there wasn't a cloud in the sky. He flinched and rocked the boat as a bolt seemed to come from nowhere, landing near his boat, causing him to start panicking. He still couldn't understand how a storm had come from nowhere, with no winds and no rain to warn him to get to shore. He caught sight of something on the shore, the forms of some monsters, which explained everything. This was no natural lightning, though right now he was completely at a loss for what he could do about it.

The next strike hit the boat, and lightning surged straight through him, giving him a jolt that hit like the family bull, throwing him from the boat. He hit the water and started to sink beneath the surface as everything started to fade. He heard a strange, mechanical sound as he finally lost consciousness.


	30. Borrowed Time

In the museum, Sarah was in the gift shop, looking more than a little dejected. She hated the job, but that wasn't really the problem. She had only taken the job as a way to get close to the team so that she could help them in any way she could. She could put up with the mind-numbing boredom of the job; it was her work in the lab underneath the museum that she really loved.

Sarah had always been raised to help where she could. They were firm believers that anyone's fortunes could turn in an instant and anyone could end up needing help out of the blue. When they had moved to Amber Beach a couple of years ago, it was a quiet town, but over the last two years monster attacks had ravaged the once peaceful city. Sarah's mother had been caught up in an attack once and ended up spending a month in a hospital, though she had always been grateful for the Rangers, knowing that if it wasn't for their intervention, her mother likely would not be alive today. When she figured out who the Rangers were, she had leapt at the chance to help in any way she could.

Unfortunately, after the success of her work on the reflector to defeat Leisure, her most recent work had been a little bit of a disaster. The blaster she was working on had misfired in the lab. It was a miracle that no one had been hit. When Kendall glared at her, she was certain that she was about to be thrown out. She shuddered to think what could have happened if one of the Rangers had been in the way of that shot when the blaster went off. She could have succeeded where so many monsters had failed and ended up killing a Ranger.

"Here." Leanne said, coming in with a latte. Sarah forced a smile as she accepted it. "Betty said you looked like you could use one."

"Thanks." Sarah answered. She couldn't help noticing that Leanne seemed more than a little chilly towards her. So far, everyone had been very welcoming and accepting of her. Everything had been fine before now. She could only presume that Leanne had heard of her mistake. She couldn't blame her for her anger. She had only been on the team a few days and had risked their lives with her clumsiness. As Leanne brushed out of the shop without another word, Betty was just coming in.

"I've never known someone to look so down with so much sugar in their hand." Betty commented. "I thought you liked it here."

"I'm not so sure here likes me very much right now." Sarah said in a glum tone. "I kind of messed up earlier."

"We're all entitled to a few mistakes." Betty assured her. "If I got all mopey and depressed any time I made a mistake I don't think I'd have made it through my forties."

"My mistake was kind of a big one." Sarah told her. "The blaster I was working on went off."

"That's quite a doozy." Betty agreed.

"Ms Morgan threw me out of the lab." Sarah said sadly. "I can't really blame her. Now I doubt she'll ever let me back in there."

"I'm sure it won't be as bad as that." Betty assured her. "I'm sure once she's calmed down she'll see that you were just trying to help."

"I don't know, I think the others have already made their feelings pretty clear." Sarah told her. Just then, Allison came into the shop with something of a skip in her step.

"Hey, Sarah, I just finished making up a monster load of salad." Allison told her. "Flash seems to have learned his lesson and bought some decent vegetables for once. I figured you'd like some lunch."

"Thanks." Sarah answered. Allison just smiled and patted her on the shoulder as she left. Betty just shook her head.

"Oh yeah, it looks like she really hates you." Betty commented. Sarah just looked confused.

"But...I would have thought...she just..."

"I'd say either she hasn't heard or she has and realises that every one of them has made mistakes that put themselves or the others in danger." Betty assured her.

"So why has Leanne been giving me the stink-eye?" Sarah asked her.

"Well, I think you'd have to ask her that." Betty told her. "But if I was to hazard a guess, I'd think it's a territorial thing."

"Territorial?" Sarah asked.

Just then, Kendall, James, Ivan, Phillipe and Tyler came back into the museum. They were walking quickly and purposefully as they entered. Tyler seemed to be carrying something as he went.

"GMa, can you cover the gift shop?" Kendall asked her. "Sarah, follow us!"

"You...you want me to...?"

"We don't have time for a discussion, either you come and help of GMa does." Kendall interrupted her abruptly. Sarah didn't need to be told a second time and quickly followed on. Betty just smiled as she took her place behind the counter.

"Good choice Doodlebug." She whispered under her breath.

Over by the lake, Chase, Koda and Riley were starting to pack up their gear. They already had plenty of fish to go around, and the fun of the day had long since faded.

"Are you sure we've got everything?" Shelby asked. "I'd hate to leave anything behind."

"It difficult to fit everything in with garbage Chase catch." Koda said with a smile. He was now getting used to this era's sense of humour, and knew all about jovial teasing. The Black Ranger chuckled and shrugged his shoulders.

"I consider it community service to the environment." Chase answered. "I'm sure the local recycling centre will be able to do better than tossing that stuff in the lake."

Just then, they all snapped around as they heard a loud crack.

"What was that?" Shelby asked.

"It sounds like lightning, but that's impossible." Riley stated. "There's not a cloud in the sky."

"Well, when impossible things start to happen, you know what that usually means." Chase commented. "We should find Matt and get him out of here. Koda, you and Riley go that way, Shelby and I will go this way."

With that, they split up and ran off in different directions, heading around the lake, looking for Matt, hoping that whatever Heckyl was up to this time, Matt wouldn't get caught up in it.

In the Dino Lab, Kendall and Sarah were working on the pod while Ivan and James relayed what they had seen and heard to Keeper. The ancient alien listened in with interest as they told him of the message they had received.

"So the Silver Energem found its way into the reaches of space, this is interesting indeed." Keeper stated.

"What I want to know is how." James commented. "I know dinosaurs are impressive, but last time I checked there was no evidence they had created interstellar travel."

"Well, we know it bonded to a Titanosaurus, and after that it bonded to someone else." Ivan added. "It appears to be someone of a modern race. The Silver Ranger was able to take the Energem into space and send us this message."

"But the first humans only went into space in the sixties." James remarked.

"Perhaps...no...it couldn't be..." Keeper said as he seemed to be lost in thought.

"What?" James asked him. "More secrets?"

"No, but...perhaps...there was one I knew long ago, is it possible..?" Keeper pondered, before shaking off his thought. "No, perhaps it is nothing."

"Perhaps it is not." Ivan suggested. "I was thought lost and here I stand. Koda was lost even longer than I."

"Have you determined the location of the Titano Zord?" James asked as they approached the work bench, casting an icy look Keeper's way. He was already aware of the fact Keeper had kept an important secret from the Rangers, the truth of his involvement in the extinction of the dinosaurs. He had only agreed to help Keeper on the understanding that once they retrieved all the Energems that he would leave Earth and never return, having done enough harm to it already. If Keeper did know anything about this Silver Ranger, he had a feeling he wasn't going to tell them any time soon.

"The attack completely destroyed the data drive." Kendall said, shaking her head in defeat. "It's impossible to know what was on the rest of that message."

"Maybe we can backtrack the signal?" Sarah suggested. "There has to have been some kind of navigation signal for the pod to follow. Maybe we can send a message to the Silver Ranger?"

"You mean an intergalactic star 69?" Tyler asked. "Is that possible?"

"Perhaps. I'm trying to isolate the broadcast frequency now." Kendall informed him. "Good thinking Sarah."

"Well...I just thought..."

"Maybe you can help me with this?" Kendall asked her. "Space is...well...space. It's a lot of ground to cover."

"You mean you really want me to help?" Sarah asked. Kendall just looked up at her, silencing her. "OK, um...I'll get right to work!"

Back at the lake, Riley and Koda had managed to make their way all the way around and right back to the truck, finding no sign of Matt. As they got back, panic started to grip the Green Ranger.

"Where could he be?" Riley asked, knowing he wouldn't get an answer. "He went out on the lake; he should be back by now!"

"Riley! Come quickly!" Chase called out. Koda and Riley ran in the direction of his voice, finding the Black Ranger standing by the burnt-out remains of a rowing boat. Riley gulped as he saw it.

"No...maybe...maybe this is someone else's boat." Riley suggested. "There are a lot of boats like this, it doesn't mean..."

"Riley...I also found this." Shelby told him, presenting an all-too-familiar hat to him. Matt had worn that hat pretty much as long as Riley had known him. The Green Ranger just shook his head.

"No, no...MATT!" He screamed out as he started to wade out into the water. The others tried to grab him to keep him from plunging right into the lake to look for him. "MATT!"

"Riley, get a hold of yourself!" Chase told him. "We're going to find him, but not like this!"

"What if it was Chloe, Chase?" Riley demanded, trying to pull himself out of the Black Ranger's grip.

"Then I'd probably be trying to swim to the bottom of the lake and it would be you dragging my arse out the lake saying the same thing!" Chase yelled, struggling to hold him. Before they knew what else was happening, they both felt a massive jolt of electricity coursing through them and flew out of the lake, landing in a heap on the bank.

"What was that?" Shelby asked.

"LOOK!" Koda said, pointing a little way down the bank. Far away, they could see the unmistakable forms of Fury, Singe, Wrench and Hookbeard standing. Hookbeard was throwing his lightning rod into the water, and each time he did, they could see a massive discharge.

"No prizes for guessing what happened to Matt's boat." Shelby muttered. Riley broke into a run, heading right for the assembled monsters.

"Riley, wait!" Chase called out as he saw him heading right for them. "I guess we can forget the cautious approach. UNLEASH THE POWER!"

Meanwhile, in a dark place, Matt started to stir and come to. He didn't know where he was or what had happened, the last thing he could remember was thinking it was odd that there was lightning on a day with no rain or thunder to accompany it. After that, he could only remember sinking into the lake.

He was wet, so he knew that memory was real, but beyond that, he had no idea where he was. He remembered Riley telling him about underwater caves, air pockets they had searched while looking for the Plesio Zord, but the floor he was lying on seemed far too smooth to be a natural stone. It felt more like metal. As he reached around, he could find square edges, corners that didn't seem natural at all. He struggled to see, but there was a dim, flickering light source. It bathed the whole area in a dim, greenish light.

"Where am I?" Matt asked himself. "Hello?"

He didn't get an answer. He was hoping that whoever had brought him here was still around; he couldn't imagine how unlikely it was he ended up here all by himself, especially since he had been unconscious. He struggled back to his feet.

Suddenly, the whole room shook and he could see sparks flying. He now remembered his boat being hit by lightning, and figured that whatever had hit his boat had to be targeting whatever this was.

He reached into his pocket, and pulled out his I-phone. When Riley had bought it for him he had told him it wasn't his first choice of phone, and that he had always liked his old 3310 because it was robust and he didn't have to worry about it getting damaged while he was working on the farm. He breathed a sigh of relief as he saw miraculously it was still working.

"I guess I underestimated this thing." He remarked as he checked it out. He still had a very weak, faint signal, and his battery was close to dead. He cursed the I-Phone again at this. Another reason he wasn't fond of it was it guzzled up power far faster than his much lower tech phone. He figured he might just be able to get a call out.

His first instinct was to call Riley, but as soon as he did, he got a dead tone.

"I'm sorry; the phone you are calling is currently unavailable." The message stated. He hung up.

"Damn it Riley, your phone's probably out of juice." He grumbled. He was about to put his phone away when he noticed Kendall's name on his directory. He took a deep breath, figuring he didn't really have much choice in the matter and hit dial.

In the Dino Lab, Kendall and Sarah were working on the pod when they were interrupted by a ring tone. The whole team started to look around.

"What is that?" Ivan asked. "It isn't my ring tone."

"No, it's not one I know." Tyler said as he furrowed his brows. "Is that...is that song...is that Sex Bomb by Tom Jones?"

"Who has that as a ring tone?" James asked. Sarah picked up the phone, finding it lying on the desk.

"Ms Moran...this is your phone." She said. Kendall just turned a delightful shade of pink as she snatched the phone from her.

"That isn't Ms Morgan's usual ring tone..."

"You can assign different ring tones to different numbers." Tyler whispered to him. "I wonder who she assigned that to?"

"Matt?" Kendall whispered, trying to keep the conversation private. Unfortunately everyone had already heard this. She hadn't gotten around to changing the ring tone she had assigned to Matt's number since the break up.

"Kendall...I don't know where I am." He told her. "I was out on the lake, and I think I was...I don't know...maybe hit by lightning? Now I don't know where I am."

The colour drained from Kendall's face as she put Matt on speaker and went to her computer, hooking up the phone.

"Matt, it's alright, just try to keep calm." Kendall told him, her voice noticeably straining as she tried to triangulate a signal on his GPS. "Matt, I'm going to find you, just...give me a little time. Tell me exactly what happened."

"I was just on the boat, and then I heard lightning." He told her.

"There's no lightning on the weather forecast." James told them. "That doesn't sound natural."

"I got knocked out of the boat, and then I started sinking...then I woke up here." He told her. "It's dark, and it's shaking and..."

Kendall looked to the phone as his words tailed off.

"Matt, what is it?" She asked, the panic evident in her voice. "Matt...Matt, speak to me!"

"It's shaking again and there's sparks, I think its being hit again." Matt finally told her, at which Kendall breathed a sigh of relief, one that felt like the first breath she had ever taken just hearing Matt still able to speak. "Wait...there's something...I'm sending it now."

Kendall's phone bleeped, signalling a picture message had come through. Kendall opened up the picture message, revealing an emblem.

"Is that...?" Tyler asked.

"He found the Titano Zord?" Phillipe asked. "The Titano Zord was in the lake this whole time?" Just then, they got a signal on their communicators.

"Koda, what is it?" Tyler asked.

"We fighting monsters at lake." Koda told him. "They very strong, need help!"

"This can't be a coincidence. You guys go." Kendall told them. "Whatever you do, you cannot let them destroy the Titano Zord!"

"Kendall...Kendall, are you there?" Matt called through the phone. Kendall couldn't help staring at the phone as she pondered her options. Tyler looked to the others.

"Come on guys, let's go help the others." He told them. "Ms Morgan, you figure out how we're going to get Matt out of that lake."

With that, Tyler, Phillipe, James and Ivan all headed for the exit, morphing as they went. Kendall took position by the phone again.

"It's alright Matt, I'm still here." Kendall told him. "The good news is, you're in the Titano Zord."

"The Titano Zord? I stumbled into a Zord?" He asked her. "How?"

"I...really don't know." Kendall answered him honestly as she grabbed a blank Dino Charger. "Whatever you do, don't worry, just sit tight. I'm going to find you."

"It's...it's getting a little difficult to breathe." Matt told her. "The air, it feels really thin."

"What's happening?" Sarah asked. Kendall just gulped and muted the phone for a second.

"The Zord isn't powered up; it's probably only running on emergency reserves." Kendall told her, her heart hammering in her chest. "That means the life support system probably isn't running."

"So that means..."

"That means once he's exhausted the air in the cockpit..." Kendall couldn't bear to say the rest. She started the download to create the Titano Charger. "Matt, I'm making something to help you. Just...slow breaths, just try to remain calm, like you always told me. We'll be with you before you know it."


	31. Kendall's Race Against Time

By the side of the lake, the battle was getting intense. Shelby, Chase & Koda had been left with little choice but to follow when Riley tore off towards the monsters that had attacked his brother. The fact that Singe and Fury, two of Heckyl's most powerful henchmen were there seemed to make little difference to Riley's decision to engage, but given the fact that so far all they had found was his scorched boat and hat, none of them were too surprised that Riley had gone into a rage.

"Jeez, would you look at Riley go?" Chase asked as he exchanged a few blasts with Singe, flipping around to make himself a harder target. "Remind me not to piss him off again!"

"I don't think he's listening to reason!" Shelby responded, trying to close in on Singe as Chase kept him busy, only to find the trigger-happy alien's usual blitz tactics setting up a near impenetrable wall of energy blasts.

"Riley, Matt alright!" Koda called through, using his Stego Shield to knock Hook-Beard to the ground. "He in Titano Zord! Kendall say she working to get him out!"

"The Titano Zord? Then you WERE right after all!" Fury growled, looking suspiciously over to Singe, thinking how much of a coincidence it was that he just happened to have known how to fix the scanner and bring them right to the Titano Zord's location. Riley took the momentary lapse in his concentration to score a telling blow to his off-hand, which caved with a sickening crunch under a huge swing from his Dino Sabre. He screamed as he stumbled backwards.

"You're going to pay for what you did to Matt!" Riley screamed at him, drawing back for another strike.

"What I did?" Fury screamed, pointing his sword at Hookbeard. "HE'S the one that attacked the boat!"

Riley broke off, running straight for Hookbeard, knocking Koda down on the way, powering up into Dino Steel Mode.

"Riley, what the hell are you doing?" Chase screamed. "Finish off the guy you're fighting first!"

"This doesn't look good!" Fury said, getting to his feet and waving forward. "Reinforcements!"

"Shit, that's all we need!" Chase said as a bunch of Viviks and Spikeballs turned up, rushing into the area.

"Fortunately, he's not the only one with reinforcements!" James announced as he, Tyler, Ivan and Phillipe burst onto the scene.

"We are so glad to see you guys!" Chase commented. "Where's Ms..."

"Ms Morgan's working on a way to get Matt out of the Titano Zord." Phillipe told him, joining the battle. "She said she'll be along shortly."

Back at the museum, Kendall was indeed working on the Titano Charger, all the while trying to keep her mind on the task while Matt was still on the line. She was trying to keep him talking, trying to keep his mind off his predicament, hoping that he wouldn't panic and use up his air any faster, but inside, it was easier said than done.

Her mind was racing; trying to figure out how large the size of the average Zord cockpit was and how much air it would have in it. Matt was a big guy, which didn't help matters. He was healthy and strong as a result of his years of work on the farm, he got a lot of exercise so his resting heartbeat had to be...she shook her head, his heartbeat would be elevated by now. Even though she hadn't told him about the air situation, he had mentioned it, meaning he now had to be aware that his air wouldn't last forever. She could guess at his lung capacity, as long as he didn't exert himself, he could last...no matter how many times she did the maths, she always thought of different factors that would affect it, and kept coming up with different answers. The only thing that was consistent was that he did not have long.

"Kendall." Matt said in a weak voice. She looked back to the phone.

"It's alright Matt, we're working on it." Kendall assured him, trying to sound as calm as possible, even though it felt like her heart was already in a vice, slowly being crushed within her chest. Every passing moment that it took for the Titano Charger to download was time Matt didn't have. "Matt, I'll be there..."

"It's getting really tough to breathe." He told her, feeling the air becoming thin and bitter. He had done everything he had ever remembered people advising him to do. He was keeping low, lying on the floor, using as little movement as possible to reduce the demands on the air in the room, but he could still feel the air getting thinner with every breath. He knew enough about chemistry to know how air worked. With every breath, he was taking oxygen out of the air, oxygen he would need. Eventually, there would be insufficient oxygen to keep him going. He heard a bleep. "My phone's battery just bleeped...it's almost..."

"Please don't use that word." Kendall begged him. "Sarah, have you found that communications link yet?"

"I've tried to backtrack the signal, but I can't find the Silver Ranger." She told her. "I must have gotten into the wrong satellite; all I seem to be able to find is some really cheesy game show, Galaxy Warriors!"

"Sarah..."

"It looks kind of like a cross between American Gladiators and Pro Wrestling...with REALLY crappy production values!" She chuckled.

"SARAH!" Kendall snapped at her. Sarah suddenly realised the urgency of the situation and knew now wasn't the time. Kendall couldn't care less about some crappy TV game show that she hadn't heard of. "You haven't found...?"

"No sign of the Silver Ranger." Sarah gulped. "It looks like activating the Titano Zord is the best way..."

"Kendall." Matt called over his phone. "Kendall, the phone bleeped again. The battery's almost..."

"Matt, don't worry, I'm on my way..."

"Kendall...don't worry about it." Matt told her. "I know you did your best."

"Matt, don't talk like that, I'm not giving up..."

"I know you won't." He told her. "Kendall, I just wanted you to know...I lo..."

As the call ended, Kendall picked up her phone, staring at it in abject horror. She dialled the number, only to get an automated message.

"The telephone you are trying to reach is switched off. Please hang up and..."

She could hardly keep herself together, just staring at the phone as tears started to form up in her eyes. Just then, she got the alert from her computer she was waiting for. The data transfer to the Titano Charger had been completed. She snatched it up, and ran out of the lab as quickly as her legs would carry her.

When she got to the museum floor, she was just about to head out the door when she almost ran into someone. Standing before her was Flash, the new museum director. He blocked her path as she tried to step around him.

"Ms Morgan, where exactly do you think you're going?" He asked her. "I e-mailed you that I wanted to see you in my office half an hour ago!"

"I've been incredibly busy; I haven't even looked at my e-mail today." She told him honestly. "I'll re-schedule, now, if you'll excuse me..."

"And where may I ask is your uniform?" He asked her. Kendall looked down, remembering she had changed when she went down into the lab, before looking up at him.

"I have urgent work to do out in..."

"Out in the field, yes, I keep hearing that, but I'm seeing a distinct lack of results!" He told her, grabbing her arm. "Now, why don't we go to the office and..."

"Now is REALLY not a good time!" Kendall told him, trying to pull away. Flash gripped more tightly and pulled her back in front of him.

"I think you're forgetting who runs this place!" He snapped at her indignantly. "Now, you and your dig team may get a free ticket around here because you work for Anton and not the museum, but that doesn't mean I can't make things very difficult for you! Now, if you'll come to my office..."

"I really need to go!" Kendall warned him.

"YOU don't tell ME what you need to do!" He yelled at her. "This isn't your show anymore it's MINE! Now if you don't want to see my nasty side, we're going to my office to discuss..."

Kendall had had enough. Pulling him in, she kneed him straight in the crotch, before shoving him to the floor. She broke off, running as other staff members went to check on the director. There would be a price to pay for that, she had absolutely no doubt about that, but right now, she didn't care in the slightest. Getting out into the street, she morphed and summoned her Raptor Cycle, leaping onto it and gunning the engine as hard as she could.

Back at the battle site, the fighting was becoming fiercer by the minute. It seemed like Heckyl was willing to expend a lot more resources this time around as more and more Viviks and Spikeballs seemed to rush into the area. Knowing that there was another functioning Zord in the area, it looked like he was taking no chances. Right now, only the fact that Riley was keeping Hookbeard busy was stopping him from attacking the Titano Zord.

"Guys, if we can't get Riley to calm down, we can at least keep these other bozos off his back!" Tyler told them, smashing down a Spike Ball with his Tyranno Smasher. "Whatever else happens, we can't let him get that Zord!"

"It looks like we've found another way to skin this cat!" James chipped in, slamming his hands into the ground and sending Fury to the floor with a seismic shockwave. Shelby just shook her head.

"I can see where you get it from." She teased her boyfriend. They heard engines, and turned to see Kendall coming right towards them fast.

"Hey, it's Ms Morgan!" Tyler called out. "She must have the Titano Charger..."

"Uh...Tyler, I don't think she's stopping!" Chase said as he shoved the Red Ranger out the way, just as Kendall raced between them. She hopped up, planting both feet on the saddle of her Raptor Cycle as it rushed straight towards Wrench. She leapt off at the moment it slammed into him with a huge explosion, propelling her far out into the lake, where she landed in a fast dive, driving herself down into the water.

"Well...I guess that's one way to do it!" James stated as he returned to the fray. "Come on guys we need to buy them time! Let's give them everything we have!"

Under the surface, Kendall drove herself downwards, her suit protecting her from the elements as she went. Her suit derived its power from the Plesio Zord, an aquatic lizard that was a deep water hunter. While it didn't give her the ability to breathe under water, it did help make the most of the air she already had. The Plesio Zord, much like modern whales could hold its breath for up to days at a time without needing to surface.

The Titano Charger in her hand was glowing as she drove downwards, the water getting darker as she moved away from the surface. Before long, it was the only way she could see anything, but that didn't matter. All she could think about was reaching the Titano Zord, no matter how far she had to go. Her suit protected her from the water pressure, but now, even it was starting to struggle, and it was starting to spark as its energy tried to keep the water from crushing her. She paid it no mind as the sparks became brighter and her suit was on the verge of collapse as she finally found herself reaching metal. In a flash, she found herself inside.

She could see Matt lying on the floor unmoving, and she wanted to go and help him, but she knew that was pointless until the Zord's life support system was back online. She went to the console and as quickly as possible, started to fire up all the systems, placing the Titano Charger into its housing. She breathed a sigh of relief as the lights started to come on and she could hear the systems starting to power up. She turned to where Matt was lying on the floor, and ran over, pulling off her helmet and throwing it aside as she turned him onto his back and straddled him.

"Please, please, please don't let me be too late!" She begged pretty much anyone that would listen. She started chest compressions. "Matt, Matt, please, breathe."

She pressed her lips to his and breathed in, before beginning her chest compressions again.

"Matt, you've never given up on anything, please don't start now!" She begged him. "Matt, breathe!"

"I...I...I..." He started to wheeze out.

"Matt?" She asked. "Matt, thank God! Please, speak..."

"It...would be easier to breathe..." He panted out. "If you'd stop jumping up and down on my chest!"

Kendall pulled him up off the floor and grabbed him, squeezing him tightly, never wanting to let go. Tears were running down her face as she gave thanks to every deity she had ever heard of in her life, not sure what or who had saved him. When she finally let go of him, he started to try and get up, but he was still weak from the lack of air.

"Don't try and move too quickly." She warned him. "Just...get a few good breaths and take your time."

"Kendall, what about the others?" He asked her. She just smiled at him.

"They're about to get a BIG help." She told him. "Consider yourself in a rare club. You're about to take a ride in a Megazord!"

Back on the banks of the lake, the tide was turn. Tyler managed to get some space and powered up into his T-Rex Supercharge Mode.

"Riley, I know you want to take this guy yourself, but let's not take any chances!" Tyler told him. Riley managed to hook the lightning rod from Hookbeards grip, before flipping away, joining Tyler and the others.

"Whatever you do, just make sure it hurts...ALOT!" Riley told him.

"You don't have to worry about that." Tyler assured him as the whole team lined up behind him. Riley joined them, linking his energy in with the others. "Dino Victory Charge, Final STRIKE!"

A massive energy blast surged towards the monster, destroying everything in its path. By the time Hookbeard fell backwards to the ground, only a few Spikeballs, Singe and Wrench remained. Tyler started to power up again.

"Say dad, want to see ANOTHER way to skin a cat?" Tyler asked. Fury just growled as he cradled his arm, which he was sure Riley had broken.

"I don't know what's worse, losing or all your terrible jokes!" Fury stated. "I'm out of here!"

With that, Fury, Wrench and Singe all disappeared in a flash of light, leaving only a few Spikeballs. Rather predictably, a Magna Beam struck the ground right where Hookbeard had fallen. The monster revived and started to grow, along with the remaining Spikeballs.

"I guess we should have seen that one coming." Chase commented. "Time for the Zords?"

"I don't think there's any need for that!" They heard a booming voice calling out as a massive shape burst forth from the lake. They all turned in time to see the absolutely immense form of the Titano Zord breaking the surface and marching out onto the beach. They all stood with their mouths hanging open in shock.

"That thing is...unbelievable!" Chase breathed. "It's huge!"

"It is modelled after a Titanosaurus, so I suppose that's to be expected." Shelby commented. "But...since when could the Titanosaurus walk underwater?"

"Since when could a Plesiosaurus fly or go into space." Tyler answered with a shrug. They all watched as the two remaining Spikeballs and Hookbeard fired blasts at it, but even as they flinched, worrying what would happen to a recently-awoken Zord, they saw that it just seemed to march through oblivious to the attack.

"Now THAT is one powerful Zord!" Chase stated. They all looked to their belt buckles as they glowed. Without warning, all of their Dino Chargers disappeared.

"It definitely seems that way; it needs all of our Dino Chargers?" Riley asked.

As Hookbeard launched another barrage at it, the Titanzord seemed to inhale them before launching the energy right back, destroying one of the two remaining Spikeballs and knocking Hookbeard to the ground.

"Isn't that...one of your moves?" Chase asked Tyler. The Red Ranger just nodded.

"It's using all of our chargers to make new moves!" He commented, just as the other Spikeball seemed to become squashed down towards the ground by an unseen force, before the Titanozord reared up on two legs, before bringing its forelegs down, crushing it completely. "That's one of dad's!"

"I don't think we've seen anything yet!" Shelby said with a huge grin as the zord started to shift shape. "It looks like it has a Megazord configuration! Go Ms Morgan!"

The Titanozord towered above Hookbeard as the unfortunate creature finally managed to regain its feet. It was holding a huge two-handed axe in its hands, preparing to strike.

"You're no match for my spear!" He screamed defiantly as he ran at the zord, thrusting his spear into it. However, his strikes seemed to have little or no effect. He just started to back away.

"Now it's OUR turn!" Kendall called out as she brought the axe down in massive, destructive arcs, smashing into him with every strike.

"Wow, this thing is incredible!" Matt said from the corner of the cockpit, where he was still resting up, trying to get his breath back.

"If that impressed you, wait until you see this." Kendall told him, loading five Dino Chargers into her sabre. "Titano Axe, final colossal CRUSH!"

Hookbeard could only watch as the axe came down one final time right between his eyes, glowing brightly. Before long, all that remained was a smoking crater. Kendall turned to Matt, and smiled.

"Well, how about you say it this time?" She asked him.

"Say what?" He asked. She just glared at him. "Do I really have to?"

"I know it sounds silly, but it's kind of a tradition thanks to Tyler." She told him. "Only Ivan gets a bye, and that's only because he has his own version."

"Alright." He answered. "Monster Extinct."

"Now, how about we find somewhere to park this thing in the Zord hideout and then get you to a hospital for a check-up?" She asked him. "No arguments."

"I know better than to argue with you." Matt told her, coming to her side and putting his arm around her shoulders for support as he tried to remain upright. "A trip to the hospital sounds like a great idea."

As Kendall drove the Titanozord towards the Zord hangar, hoping beyond hope that there was actually enough room there to house something of this size, she couldn't help looking to Matt's hand on her shoulder and smiling.


	32. Kendall's Consequences

Singe, Wrench and Fury had all gotten back to Heckyl's ship after the battle, and none of them were particularly keen to meet with Heckyl to discuss their latest failure, which by observation had left the Rangers with a brand new Zord, one which by observation was one of the most powerful that they had seen. Fury had a bye right now, being injured, he needed to go and get his arm checked out. Wrench had made an excuse about checking out his equipment and had left. Only Singe didn't really have much of an excuse.

He had been pushing his luck, worming his way into the inner workings of Heckyl's inner circle since his arrival, and he knew that the erratic alien would need to be appeased if his agenda was to continue. He didn't wait to be summoned, instead determining that it would be for the best if he got to give his side of things before Fury or Wrench got to put their spin on things.

He arrived, finding Heckyl sitting on his chair, pondering recent events. He seemed to be watching footage of the battle, analysing the latest weapon in the Rangers' arsenal. Singe let out a little cough to alert Heckyl to his presence.

"I know today didn't go as planned..."

"I would say that is something of an understatement." Heckyl interrupted him as he took some nuts from a bowl next to him and started to crunch them. "I can't help going over a number of failings that led to this happening..."

"I know, there were a lot of things..."

"It's troubling how long it took Wrench to get his scanner working. I mean, you three were out on your little nature ramble so long the Rangers caught up to you." Heckyl stated.

"Yes, I'm starting to think Wrench might have lost a step a little with his little gadgets." Singe stated. "I had to..."

"Yes, that was something else I noticed. It was extremely fortunate you seemed to be able to fix the scanner right after the Rangers got that pod and were able to locate the Titano Zord." Heckyl said in a considered tone, stroking his jaw. "Why, if one was suspicious, they might suggest you knew what was wrong with it to begin with...like perhaps you sabotaged it for your own ends."

"You're surely not suggesting..."

"And it was a little strange how you found the Titanozord's location so quickly." Heckyl said as he turned around in his chair to face him. "Why, it seemed almost like you already knew where it was."

"Are you suggesting...?"

"I'm not 'suggesting' anything." Heckyl said, his voice becoming a lot colder as he leaned forward in his chair. "How did you know where the Titanozord was?"

Singe started to become a little agitated. Heckyl was psychotic, and unpredictable but he wasn't stupid. He was prone to outbursts of anger, and that was dangerous enough. However, he was dangerously close to the truth. Singe had indeed sabotaged their efforts to find the pod, he had destroyed the pod before they could analyse it and find the source of the transmission, and he had led them to the Titanozord, exactly as he had been instructed to do. Heckyl seemed to be catching up, leaving him in a dangerous position.

"Master Heckyl, whatever Fury's been telling you..."

"This has nothing to do with Fury. You think I haven't noticed your sneaking around myself?" Heckyl asked as he pulled up a display. "Wrench isn't the only one with a few technical skills. I know you've been sending and receiving transmissions to your cell on a secure line, and I can't help noticing how many of our schemes go awry when you are involved! So I'm going to ask you one time...who do you work for?"

"Well, you of course!" Singe said, beginning to shift in his stance, but his hand reaching behind him. Heckyl powered up his hand.

"I'm going to ask you one last time! Who do you work for?" He replied angrily. Singe reacted quickly, drawing his blaster and firing off a blast right for Heckyl. The flamboyant alien threw himself aside, causing the blast to narrowly miss him as he returned fire, blasting Singe out into the hallway.

Singe started to pull himself up as monsters started to fill the corridor to see what the commotion was. He looked up in horror to see Heckyl shifting into Snide in a flash of bright light. He knew his options were limited, and if he stayed he was done for! A surge of lava burst from his hand, destroying a number of monsters between him and the door, following which he sprinted from the ship as fast as his legs would carry him. Fury approached Snide, hearing the commotion.

"What happened? Shall we...?"

"No, he's already got the message. He won't be back if he knows what's good for him." Snide answered, putting away his sword, before addressing the assembled monsters. "But just to be clear, if you EVER see Singe around here again, no questions. Eliminate him on sight!"

"With pleasure." Fury responded, before heading back to the infirmary to continue his treatment.

Back at the Dino Lab, Kendall arrived to find the team assembled waiting for her.

"Is Matt...?"

"He's fine Riley, he's exactly where he should be." Kendall assured him. "He has a case of the bends, and some hypothermia. They want to keep him in for observation, but he's healthy so their confident it's purely a formality."

"So, that was quite a day huh?" Shelby asked. Phillipe just nodded in agreement.

"We know that there is a Silver Ranger, and we have a new Zord." He commented. "As for where the Silver Ranger is..."

"I might be able to narrow that down a little." Sarah told them. They all stared at her. "While you were all out getting a new Zord and all, I was able to work with the pod and get more of the message."

"You managed to...how?" Kendall asked her. "The memory circuit was toast!"

"It wasn't as bad as we originally thought! Fortunately Singe is a lot more about firepower than he is about aim." Sarah commented. "I warn you, it isn't much...but we do have some more of the message to go on."

"You managed to...Sarah, that's AMAZING!" Riley complimented her, wrapping his arms around her. "You are a legend!"

"It...um...really wasn't that much." Sarah answered, backing away from him. "Um...here, I'll let you see what I've managed to piece together."

She hit a few keys on the keyboard, pulling up the hologram. It wasn't much, the transmission was broken, but they could just about make it out.

"Find and activate my Titanozord, sadly you will need its power. Keeper, my friend, I bring you troubling news." The Silver Ranger said, causing the alien mentor to appear in the room. "The Dark Energem has been located."

"The Dark Energem?" Chase asked as Sarah paused the message. Keeper looked deeply troubled by this development.

"The Dark Energem is a source of tremendous evil power." Keeper explained to them. "Eons ago, when my kind created the Energems from the power of good energy, they had to filter off the evil Energies. The Dark Energem is the result of the concentrated evil energies that were left after the Energem's creation.

"So your people created concentrated evil?" James said sarcastically. "And your people thought this was a good idea...why?"

"It is one of the few powers in the universe that is capable of destroying the remaining Energems." Keeper explained. This caused a noticeable shift in the mood of the room.

"A dangerous and evil being has located the Dark Energem and is making his way to gather the Energems." He continued. "I will try everything I can to stop him, but in order to do so; I will need you to transmit all of your Zord data to me on the following frequency."

"He wants our Zord data, is that safe?" Kendall asked Keeper.

"I would normally be hesitant, but the Silver Energem could never bond to a creature that is evil." Keeper assured her. "Whoever the Silver Ranger is, he is most certainly an ally."

"It is risky." Tyler said as he thought about what they were being asked to do. Sending the schematics for the Zords would allow anyone to access all the information they would need about them. Weaknesses, attack capabilities, power levels...it was a lot of power to grant someone they didn't even know. However, he looked to keeper and nodded. "Keeper says he's sure. That's good enough for me, but this decision needs to be put to a vote."

"I don't know why the Silver Ranger can't come here and ask for the information himself." Riley pointed out. "Not to mention, how do we know it really IS the Silver Ranger? That hologram could be anyone! I say we need confirmation who this guy is!"

"The Energems we have are pure good, and they've brought untold destruction to this planet." James chipped in, glaring at Keeper. "I say if we can stop one that's pure evil from getting to Earth, we take that chance."

"As much as I'm normally with Riley, I say we give this a shot." Shelby answered. "If we don't have to face this Dark Energem, it could be worth that gamble."

"That's three to one." Tyler stated. "Ivan?"

"I'm sorry Keeper, but without speaking to this Silver Ranger directly, I simply don't know if we can trust him." Ivan declared. "We have been fooled in the past. I say nay."

"I'm siding with Riley." Chase told them. "I've learned to know better than to doubt him."

"Three apiece." Shelby answered. "Prince Phillipe?"

"Far be it from me to question Keeper, but we have been misled before." Phillipe told them. "Unless the Silver Ranger comes to Earth for us to verify his identity, I say no."

"Silver Ranger is Ranger." Koda said simply. "He in our tribe, must side with tribe. I say yes."

"Four apiece." Tyler sighed, seeing the situation looking murkier by the second. "You're the deciding vote Ms Morgan. The decision's yours."

Kendall had to think long and hard about this. They all made good points. She had first-hand knowledge that the Energems wouldn't bond to anyone unless they saw that person as fit to wield their power. It wasn't always clear why, but if an Energem didn't believe someone was worthy, it would repel them violently. If someone had bonded to the Silver Energem, it had to be for a reason.

On the other hand, it was true that they had been misled before. Heckyl especially was fond of trickery as a way to get what he wanted. Handing over the Zord data was giving someone a lot of power over them that in the wrong hands could be disastrous. She looked to Keeper.

"Are you CERTAIN we can trust this Silver Ranger?" She asked him. Keeper nodded his head.

"If he is the bearer of the power of the Silver Energem, then he is a friend." Keeper assured her. She took a deep breath.

"Then...I'm siding with Keeper." She told them. "We'll encrypt the data in case the signal is hacked, and then we'll send the data to the Silver Ranger."

"I'll get to work on that right away." Sarah told them, heading back to the computer.

"I'll help." Riley added. As they headed to the computer though, Sarah saw Leanne entering the room. She couldn't help catching a kind of cold stare she was giving her, and noticing how close Riley was, she pulled away.

"You know...I really think I can handle this." Sarah told him. "Why don't you help the others?"

"Are you sure?" Riley asked her.

"Riley...I can't help in the field, but lines of code? That I can do." Sarah assured him. Leanne approached the others as Sarah left to get to work.

"Ms Morgan, Flash says he wants to see you." Leanne told her. "He made it clear it wasn't a request."

Kendall just looked to the others, and then left the room. The Rangers all looked among each other.

"That doesn't sound good." Shelby remarked as they all filed out of the room after Kendall.

Over at Amber Beach hospital, Matt was in a recovery ward, reading through some magazines. Truth be told, reading was somewhat glorifying it. It would be some time before his mom could make it all the way out to Amber Beach to provide him with anything worthwhile, so he was left with the material in the hospital, which wasn't much at all. Right now, he was acquainting himself with the finer points of crochet.

"That's not the kind of thing I'd have expected you to be reading." Betty remarked as she came into the room. She dropped a pile of magazines on his lap. "I thought these would be more your speed."

"How...how did you get in here?" He asked her. "I thought only family were meant..."

"You know, the wonderful thing about being my age is if you act a little dotty and smile sweetly you can get away with murder." Betty answered. "I told them I was your grandmother. Doctors aren't too keen on turning away sweet old ladies from seeing their grandkids."

"Not that I don't appreciate the visit but...why are you here?" Matt asked her. Betty pulled up a seat next to his bed.

"I heard you got yourself a case of the bends." She answered. "Nasty little thing, I got a case of it myself when I went diving off the Great Barrier Reef...came up a little too quick when I saw a shark. Horrible thing, I was laid up for weeks..."

"If this is you trying to make me feel better..."

"I was just saying, it looks like you're going to be in town for a while." Betty interrupted him. "I thought that maybe since you were going to be hanging around, you might want to catch up with people, maybe have some talks that you didn't..."

"Look, I know you mean well but Kendall and I, it's just not going to happen." He responded sadly. "It's pretty clear."

"The only thing that's pretty clear is that you two are both as hard-headed as each other." Betty said stubbornly. "You didn't see the way Doodlebug ran out after you. As soon as you were in danger, there wasn't a force on Earth that would stop her getting to you!"

"She's a Ranger; she would have done that for anyone." Matt stated.

"That's a load of bull and you know it!" She snapped at him. "I've only seen you two together once and I could see from the way you look at each other how you both feel. Why you're willing to walk away from that is completely beyond me!"

"What do you want to hear?" Matt asked her. "Do you want me to tell you that I thought she could be the one? Do you want me to tell you that I could have imagined making a life with her? That I was seriously considering spending the rest of my life with her? If that's what you want to hear then there, you've heard it!"

"If you really feel like that, why would you walk away?" She asked him.

"We both want different things from life." Matt told her. "We talked about it and her future and mine are very different places."

"If you're worried about her career, she would always come home..."

"It's not about her career!" Matt told her. "If you want to know what it's about, it's about kids!"

"Kids?" Betty asked, suddenly looking a little pale. He just nodded. "You'd hold that against her?"

"Kendall made it clear kids aren't part of her plan." He told her. "She told me she didn't want to be tied down. She told me that having kids would hold back her career and that she didn't want..."

"And you believed that?" Betty asked her, taking off her glasses and shaking her head in disbelief.

"Why wouldn't I?" He asked her.

"She never told you did she?" Betty asked him. He just shook his head in response. "When she was 17, Kendall was diagnosed with cancer."

"Yeah, I heard something about that." Matt told her. "She's been helping Margaret because she went through it."

"Not the same cancer." Betty told him. "Kendall was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The only way they could treat it was to perform a complete hysterectomy."

Betty came closer, resting a hand on Matt's face.

"I 'm not convinced she never wanted children." She told him. "My Doodlebug can't have children."

Matt just sunk into the bed, resting his head back into the pillows.

Back at the museum, Kendall came into the main hall, finding Flash waiting for her. She hadn't been thinking much about it at the time, concerning herself only with getting to Matt and saving his life, but now that she had the time to decompress, she remembered that she had assaulted Flash on her way out. There was no way that was going to pass without incident. As she approached, she could see the smug look on his face.

"That's quite close enough love." Flash told her with a wry grin on his face. "I wouldn't want a repeat performance."

"Repeat performance?" Tyler asked. "What happened?"

"Your former boss took it upon herself to assault me." Flash told them. They all just stood, staring in disbelief at Kendall. "It seems she was in such a hurry to get out of here, she laid hands on me."

"I don't believe it was my hands that were the problem." Kendall replied sarcastically. The way Flash crossed his legs just thinking about it filled in the blanks for the others. They all had to try hard to suppress their laughs thinking about it.

"Well, I hope you didn't think that was going to go unpunished." Flash told her. "You're through here love."

"Wait...you can't fire her!" Tyler protested. "She works for Anton! He's the only one that can..."

"Oh, I know I can't fire her! Believe me; nothing would give me greater joy!" Flash interrupted him. "Of course I DO run the museum, which means what I CAN do is bar her from the premises. It'll be kind of hard to do your job if you aren't allowed on the museum grounds now won't it love?"

"You're...you're serious aren't you?" Shelby asked. Flash reached up, tapping Kendall twice lightly on the cheek.

"Serious as a heart attack love." He responded, before looking to Ivan. "I believe you and the Aussie..."

"Kiwi." Chase corrected him.

"Whatever!" He responded. "I believe you two double as security. Please relieve Ms Morgan of her security pass and escort her from the premises."

They both looked at each other, uncertain what to do. Flash decided to make it simple.

"Do it, or you two can join her." He told them. Kendall just rolled her eyes and handed over her security pass.

"No need for the rest of you to suffer." She told them. "This place is going to need all the help it can get."

"Don't let the door hit you on the arse on the way out!" Flash said smugly as he waved while she was walked out of the building by Ivan and Chase. He rounded on the others. "Now, how about all of you find something useful to do while I'm still in a good mood?"

With that, they all walked off to find work to do, all the time wondering what the future would bring for them now. While Kendall was no longer in charge of the museum, she did keep things from getting too bad with Flash around. Now though, with her out of the picture, he had full run of the place and no one to stop him.

As they got out of the museum, Kendall couldn't help looking back at the building. It wasn't much, but for a long time it had been her empire. She had a lot of great memories of the place, and a lot of accomplishments there. Ivan sighed and looked to her sympathetically.

"I am most sorry Ms Morgan." He told her. "If you just say the word..."

"No, trust me; the others will need all the help they can get." Kendall told him. "There's no reason for you all to suffer."

"So what now?" Chase asked. "If you can't come into the museum..."

"Believe me, that won't stop me from helping." Kendall answered. "Besides, I guess it'll give me a little time to work on that dissertation I promised Shelby I'd submit."

"This place is yours." Chase told her. "Everyone that matters knows that."

"Thanks." She answered, before gesturing them back inside. "Now go, I'm sure you have work to do."

As they left, she continued to stare at the museum and let out a sigh. She was only interrupted in her thoughts as a van pulled up. A man in coveralls came out with a tablet in his hands.

"Kendall Morgan?" He asked her. She just furrowed her brows.

"Yes?" She asked.

"We have a delivery for you." He answered.

"Oh, the delivery entrance is just..." Her words tailed off as she thought of something. The delivery wasn't addressed to the museum; it was addressed to HER specifically. "Wait...where's this from?"

He pulled up the manifest.

"Alaska." He told her. Kendall realised that this was the stuff they had excavated from Koda's cave! She was thought about it for a moment, before a thought occurred to her. Before she could stop herself, she took out a piece of paper and scribbled down an address.

"There's been a change of address, can you take it here?" She asked him. The man just looked confused.

"This is an apartment block." He told her. "I'm sorry; we're only contracted for A to B..."

"Maybe this will make you change your mind." Kendall responded, pulling a couple of hundred bucks out of her wallet. The man looked to the money in his hand, and then to Kendall's wallet.

"It is on the fourth floor..."

She took out another hundred, handing it to him.

"I'm not sure, I wouldn't be insured. It'd be at your own risk.." Kendall rolled her eyes and took out the rest of her money, dumping it in the man's hand. Right now she had absolutely no faith in what Flash would do with the most comprehensive collection of early human artefacts that had ever been found intact. The man just smiled. "Earl? We've got a new address!"

Kendall just went to her car, getting in to follow the delivery van to her apartment block. She had no idea what the future would be for the museum, but for now, she could guarantee that these heirlooms would remain safe from Flash's idea of "history".


	33. New Threats Looming

The following day, the team were assembled in the Dino Lab. It was a rather strange affair, usually their team meetings started in a pretty timely fashion. However, this time it was an entirely different atmosphere. There was one chair that was noticeably empty, and for once it wasn't James' or Phillipe's. Given Phillipe's schedule and the fact James had been spending the last couple of months searching the globe for the Silver Energem on what now was evident to be a pointless endeavour, they were the ones that generally didn't turn up for meetings. For once, both of them were here, and it was someone else that was missing. After sitting around for almost half an hour with no one saying a word, Tyler checked his watch and then breathed a sigh.

"She has been here pretty much every day for the last two years without a break." Shelby reminded them. While she shared an apartment with Kendall, she hadn't seen her that morning. Seeing her bedroom door closed over, she knew better than to violate her one refuge and had gone on without her. "She could probably use a break."

None of them were at all convinced about this explanation for Kendall's absence. Since she had been barred from the premises by Flash under the threat of being arrested, they had always predicted that it might be more troublesome for her to get to the Dino Lab. Of course, Kendall made "troublesome" look like a walk in the park on a daily basis. All of them had been expecting her to walk through the door at any moment to start the meeting like nothing had happened. Eventually though, Tyler leaned forward in his chair.

"Alright, I guess we can safely conclude she's really not coming." He said, deciding to open the meeting so they could get it over and done with and get back to work. "Now we have the Titanozord, and we know that the Silver Energem has been found."

"I've managed to figure out how to send a signal to the frequency the Silver Ranger broadcast on." Sarah told them. "I'm just waiting on the encryption program running, and then we'll be ready to send the message."

"To know that the Silver Energem has been found and a new ally is on his way is good news indeed." Keeper said, making his presence in the room known. "Once he gets to Earth, all ten Energems will finally be reunited."

"And our work will almost be complete." Phillipe stated. "Then all we need to do is rid ourselves of Heckyl for good."

"The first step towards that is to find his ship." James said as he took a sip of some coffee. "I've not got any commitments here, so I'll dedicate my time to searching for it. The sooner we rid ourselves of Heckyl, the sooner we can end all this, the better."

He cast a glare at Keeper, reminding him of their deal. His enmity for the alien was only really known to them and to Phillipe. Blaming Keeper for everything for bringing the Energems to Earth in the first place, blaming him for everything he had lost in the years since he discovered the Aqua Energem, he sincerely wanted nothing more than to see Keeper take the Energems and leave Earth for good.

"There's still the problem of what to do about the Dark Energem." Shelby reminded them. "I mean...if the Silver Ranger is right, he could deal with that himself and it'll be a non-issue, but if he's wrong...what do we do about it?"

"The best place to start is knowing what we're dealing with." Chase said as he looked to Keeper. "That's your department, what are we dealing with?"

Keeper threw his arms open, casting an image in the air, showing a sprawling cosmos. Sarah's mouth hung open in amazement.

"Wow...that is...absolutely amazing!" She commented. Leanne just shrugged.

"I know at least a dozen people back in Briarwood that can do that, and one of them is a toddler." She responded.

"Eons ago, when the universe was in its infancy, my people created the Energems, distilling them from all the good energy they could find. However, in their creation, the dark energies that ran off formed into the Dark Energem, the only substance with the power to de-stablise the power of the Energems and destroy them." Keeper told them. "To keep it from evil hands, we put the Dark Energem within a planet, Sentai 6. Unfortunately, I was made aware that a mysterious warlord destroyed Sentai 6 and took the Energem. All mention of the Energem went silent for many years, but to hear that it has resurfaced is troubling news indeed."

"So what is the plan if it gets here?" Chase asked.

"I really hope we never have to find out." Tyler answered, considering their options. "If that warlord comes here, we need to get the Dark Energem away from him, that's a given. But after that, can we destroy it?"

"If we can't, how do we secure it to stop someone else taking it?" Riley asked.

"One step at a time. First we need to send that message to the Silver Ranger." Sarah told them. "Speaking of, it looks like the encryption program is finished."

"Then until we hear back, I guess...we just keep doing what we've been doing." Tyler answered. "I guess that means it's time to get back to work."

"Don't remind me!" Riley groaned. "Flash has me painting over graffiti AGAIN!"

"Come on; let's just get this over with." Chase muttered. "Let's not give him any excuses to banish the rest of us!"

As they left, Sarah grabbed Leanne by the arm and held her back for a moment. The young vampire thought this was a little odd, but she remained to see what she wanted. Once she was sure everyone was gone, Sarah looked to her.

"Look, Leanne, I admit I don't know you very well, but...I'm kind of noticing a little...thing between us?" Sarah began. Leanne just looked confused.

"I don't know what you mean." She answered. Sarah just looked unconvinced.

"Well, let's just say I've had warmer welcomes." Sarah told her. "I can't help noticing a lot of this began after that wrestling show...when I was with Riley?"

"I really don't know..."

"Leanne, it's pretty obvious to everyone...you know...except Riley but that's because he's a little clueless about these things." Sarah continued as she moved a little closer. "You do realise that small-town thing isn't an act right? His entire High School had 32 students. TOTAL!"

"Look, if you think..."

"Leanne, I really want to get along with you, so I think I should let you know, yeah, Riley and I have a lot in common. We share a lot of hobbies, a lot of interests, but...honestly...he really isn't my type."

"You really expect me to believe...?"

"Leanne, I'm not sure I even HAVE a type! Dating's never interested me in the slightest!" Sarah continued. "I'm not saying that'll always be the case, but Riley, we share a lot of interests but that's it. I really don't want anything more from him."

"The way you two were at the show, you really expect me to believe that?" Leanne asked her, by now forgetting all about trying to deny her interest in the Green Ranger. "You two were all cosy and..."

"Do you honestly want to know what he talked about?" Sarah asked her. "He spent the whole night talking about you."

"Wait, he...he talked about me?" Leanne asked her. Sarah just nodded.

"Honestly, even if I was interested, that would be kind of a turn-off." Sarah admitted. "Like I said, he's not been big on dating. Of all the girls his age in his home town, about half of them were technically his cousins. He's not had much in the way of experience in that kind of thing. If you want my advice? If you're half as interested in him as it seems you are, you might just have to be the one to make the first move."

Leanne just sat on the desk and sighed.

"I...I guess I'm not that experienced at the whole dating thing either." She admitted. "I mean, there was a thing with a werewolf one time but that went...really not well."

"Because your kind and his are at war?" Sarah asked. Leanne just furrowed her brows.

"No, because he was a dick who thought monogamy was a kind of wood." She responded gruffly. "Don't believe everything you see in movies. In general werewolves and vampires get along. That doesn't stop certain members of both species being assholes."

"Right...sorry." Sarah answered, realising what she had said could be taken as tactless. "Anyway, things might get pretty wild real soon, so if you do like him, you might want to make the move."

"That's what Allison keeps telling me." Leanne replied. "Sorry if I was a little..."

"Scary?" Sarah asked her, punching a few keys on her computer and sending the message to the Silver Ranger. "Would it be considered racist or something if I told you I was thinking about starting to carry a stake?"

"Girl, you REALLY need to stop using Bram Stoker as a reference book for my people." Leanne chuckled as she put an arm around Sarah. They both looked to the screen as it crackled, and eventually a figure appeared on it. It was the Silver Ranger.

"How did you get this frequency?" He asked. "Who are you?"

"We're friends." Sarah assured him. She could see that he was standing in a dark area, and she could hear some ominous noises in the background. "Is everything alright there?"

"I am deep within enemy territory; danger has been my constant companion for some time." He told them, pulling out a blue Dino Blaster. "Have you got that data?"

"I just needed to encrypt it. You can't be too careful." Sarah answered, before starting the data transfer. "It should all be with you in a couple of minutes."

"Not a minute too soon. My enemies are becoming increasingly restless." The Silver Ranger stated. "I thank you."

"Just know you've got friends on Earth." Sarah assured him.

"That is one of the few comforting thoughts I have." He said. "Over and out."

As the communications link terminated, Sarah took a deep breath and turned to Leanne.

"OK, I swear this is the last question and I REALLY don't want to be racist, it's purely curiosity." She said, looking embarrassed. "What do we taste like?"

"Well, that varies from person to person." Leanne told her, putting her arm around her and walking with her back towards the museum. "For example, you look pretty healthy; look like you eat right...can I ask...do you eat a lot of oily fish?"

"You know, as much as I think I might regret this conversation, I'm morbidly curious." Sarah admitted as they entered the elevator.

Meanwhile, on the ship in the depths of space, the Silver Ranger looked to his communicator as the download completed. It took a few moments for it to de-code the encryption, but as the Zord schematics came up on his screen, he smiled.

"They bought it?" A husky voice asked from the darkness. The Silver Ranger just smiled.

"Hook, line and sinker." He responded. "Now we have all the power we'll ever need."

With that, he let out a long, shrieking laugh as he handed his communicator to his master, the warlord whose name existed only in the cautious whispers of the terrified survivors of his reign of terror, Lord Arcanon, the bearer of the Dark Energem.

Later that evening, in Blue Bay Harbour, Carl's latest show was just getting underway. While there was a full card advertised, there was a lot of buzz in the arena, but above all, only two questions. Was Koda going to show up? And why had Jack attacked him and ended their partnership.

Carl made his way out to the ring to kick off the show in his in-show persona as the owner of the company. As he stepped between the ropes, the arena was already alive with chants of "Koda" and "Why, Jack, Why?" He suppressed his smile as he took a microphone from one of the ringside assistants. His plan had worked perfectly; his storyline was already one the fans were eating up. They wanted to hear from Jack, and they wanted to know when they could expect Koda to come back to exact his revenge. He tapped the mic, ensuring it was working before holding up a hand to silence the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is with deepest regrets I have to inform you that as of tonight, Koda is not medically cleared to compete. He is recuperating at home, and I'm sure I speak for everyone in the arena when I wish him a speedy recovery." He announced. This got an applause, and a rousing chant of Koda's name. It was clear they were disappointed that Koda wasn't there to wrestle tonight, but their enthusiasm to see him back was at a high. "Now, I have a couple more items of business to discuss before we begin our show tonight, but first, I have to begin with the most pressing issue. Jack Malone, get your arse out here right now, because you have a LOT of explaining to do!"

Jack's music hit, and he strode out through the curtain. Fans were already booing as soon as he appeared, and a number of them near the railings were on their feet, hurling abuse at him. Jack remained stony-faced as he ignored them, walking straight past them without playing to them at all. He didn't even react as a soda hit him in the back, splashing everywhere and soaking his t-shirt. Getting to the ring, he hoisted himself up onto the apron and stepped through the ropes, joining Carl in the ring. As his music stopped and he paced around, the chants of "Why, Jack, Why?" started up again.

"You heard them Jack! You owe them..." Jack snatched the microphone away from Carl, shoving him back.

"You're lucky I'm in a talkative mood, because I don't owe you, OR them a GOD DAMNED THING!" Jack said into the microphone. He started pacing. "That's all I've been hearing ever since that night, 'Why, Jack, Why?' All I hear is 'why did you turn your back on Koda?'..."

He paused as the crowd started to chant Koda's name. This was meant to bait him, to annoy him and show that they supported Koda and were waiting for him to burst out and take him to task for his betrayal. Jack just let them chant for a while before he smiled.

"You want to know why? THAT'S why!" He announced, before looking to the crowd. There was a kid with a Koda shirt in the front row. "THAT'S why!" He pointed to a sign in the crowd. "THAT'S why!"

The crowd continued to try and bait him, chanting their support for Koda. He just sneered at them all.

"You all chant his name like he's the second coming or something. A few months ago, none of you had even HEARD of Koda! You know who made him? ME! You know who brought him into this business? ME! He owes everything to me! Every one of you owes everything to me! He'd be nothing if it wasn't for me and everyone here knows it!"

The Koda chants stopped and instead the crowd started booing and chanting 'Jack Sucks.' He leant on the ropes, looking out over them.

"If I suck so much, how come I put your precious Koda on the shelf without even breaking a sweat?" He asked them. "I've been in this business over 30 years! I was making and breaking stars before Koda was even a blip on the radar! I let him ride my coat tails, let him tag with me and while I was the one doing all the work, I was the one bringing us up the ranks, you were all jumping on the bandwagon of the flavour of the month, buying his shirts and chanting his name, you INGRATES!"

The crowd started chanting harder, returning to 'Koda' chants.

"I put Koda on the shelf and if he knows what's good for him, he'll bloody well stay there!" Jack snarled at them. "I made him, and I can just as easily end him!"

He then looked right at Carl.

"I am DONE making every flavour of the month around here. It's time for me to look out for number one. I am officially entering your tournament to crown a number one contender." Jack told him. "It's been a long time coming, but it's time for you all to see why I am one of the most feared men on the independent scene."

"The Deer Hunter Jack Malone is back, and this time, I'm locked and loaded for REALLY big game." He told the assembled crowd. "This time, I'm loaded for jaguar!"

With that, he thrust the microphone back into Carl's hand, before flipping over the ropes and heading up the ramp to a loud chorus of boos. He had made a statement, and right now, the crowd was eating it up!

FIN

 **A/N:** There we go folks, the end of a story rounding out, and just in time to ease in the latest new threat to the Rangers. Hope you enjoyed it, and don't worry, the next story should be starting real soon.


End file.
